Goldeneye
by JMLMonkey
Summary: After the 5th Lab collapses, Fullmetal is MIA. Mustang tracks him down, finding him in a sad but interesting predicament. Both are being hunted where Riza falls victim. Will they be able to hold it together before it all slips away? Hughes meekly smiled, "Either way Roy, a dog is a man's best friend." EdxWin Royai Chimera!Ed Rated for: Violence, Gore, Deaths, Romance
1. Pursuit

Disclaimer: Hiromu Arakawa is the creator of the_ Fullmetal Alchemist_ enterprise. I own and take credit for nothing. I thank her for introducing this world of hers to us.

Note:  
-This story may contain spoilers.  
- Warning you now, this is rated M for a reason. This will be violent and romantic in the coming chapters (if you know what I mean). There is only mild violence in this chapter.  
- This is based on the 2009 Anime.

Please let me know what you think.

**Goldeneyes**

Chapter 1: Pursuit

It was past duty hours, yet one could find, Coronel Roy Mustang still sitting behind his desk within East City. The Coronel was alone in thought, tracing back the events that started approximately three months prior.

(Major) Edward Elric had taken an initiative (with his brother) by investigating the supposed closed building which housed the old 5th Laboratory. Alphonse Elric, Second Lieutenant Maria Ross, and Sergeant Denny Brosh had confirmed there was activity at the site by bringing back a souvenir, Barry the Chopper, an executed criminal. Adding to the bizarre story, Barry, also known as Number 66, was alive within a suit of armor (similar to Al). His real body… who knew where the hell that thing was. Currently, he is hidden in Lieutenant Coronel Maes Hughes' custody and any knowledge of his existence is trusted with key members only. Though cooperative, he possessed a limited amount of intelligence. He informed Hughes that Ed would have come into contact with the Slicer Brothers, Number 48 (other "executed" criminals), inside the facility. He continued to confess with Mustang on the phone line, "Yep. It's still up. Don't know now that the building is gone. THEY NEVER TOLD US THAT THEY COULD-WOULD DO THAT! What if I was trapped inside…!? Do I know what they're doin' now? No. They do whatever they want. We were told to guard it. That's what I did. These two people, one was a real hotty, HA, they aren't in the military." Ultimately, they were left with more questions than answers.

Eyewitness testimony, from Al, placed Ed inside the building when the collapse occurred and he has been missing ever since. Even with the odds, Al refuses to believe his brother is dead. Rightly so, Al had personally helped with the rescue effort, and no evidence of Ed's body was found, nor remnants of the Slicer Brothers.

So where was he?

During the investigation, another tunnel was discovered, one not drawn in the original blue prints of the facility. The only tunnel recorded - the one that directly connected the lab to the prison facility next door. From what Hughes said, this tunnel looked newer; the stone did not match the discoloration of the aged stone that constituted the 5th Lab. Which brings us to the present moment: the call from Central Mustang was waiting on, word about Hughes' raid down into the tunnel. He did not let the phone finish its first ring. Snatching it off the hook, "This is Mustang."

"Hey there. Illegal actives where happening in the shop under our feet. The establishment is under control, it will pay its dues," Hughes sounded a bit overloaded, "Sorry for calling so late, I could not bring myself to leave the fascinating store. So many rooms and … things. I didn't even get to see everything displayed in this wonderful new place."

"Anything that I would be interested in?" Mustang asked as Hughes smirked with is replay, "I wasn't shopping for you." Mustang sighed and sat back in his chair, "Why not? You don't care about me?"

"It did have a lot pertaining to your group of studies." They both had expected this, being underneath and old alchemic lab and all. As Major Alex Armstrong walked into Hughes office, Hughes turned to face him.

Casually Mustang jested, "You will have to take me to this store the next time I am around town. Maybe I would like to purchase something."

Unconsciously, Hughes muttered a "Huh?" as he watched Armstrong place a box on the desk separating them. There was a pause on Mustang's line. He instantly sat up, "What is it, Hughes?"

"It looks like Major Armstrong bought us a gift from this new store." Hughes eyes searched Armstrong's somber attitude, trying to predict what was in the box. He opened it with one hand and his stomach dropped, did a flip and a twist. There was one automail arm and one automail leg inside. His sullen voice cracked, "Oh Major, thank you for the sediment but I don't have any need for these… maybe Fullmetal could use these beat-up automail parts the next time he's in -" Hughes heard Mustang slam the phone down – "…town."

The Colonel scribbled '_Off to Central'_ on a random piece of paper, grabbed his black military issued trench coat off the chair, slapped the note down on Lieutenant Hawkeye's desk, and headed to the train station to hop on the next ride out.

It was a sunny but chilly, fall afternoon, two days since they spoke. Hughes waited on the platform for Mustang, who swiftly exited the train. He greeted Mustang with a warm smile, "I am shocked, no Lt. Hawkeye?"

"I didn't feel I had the time. Wanted to get here as soon as possible," Mustang stated as Hughes shook his head. Mustang bluntly retorted to Hughes dissatisfaction, "I left a note."

"Are you hungry?" Hughes asked as they started walking to exit the station.

"No, just brief me on what you know," Mustang was to eager to find anything out to have time to stop for a bit to eat.

Once they got to the office building, Hughes showed him the box with Ed's automail, now placed on the secretary's desk. Mustang carefully opened it and lifted up Ed's arm; some bolts fell, tinking along as they made contact with the automail leg below. "I didn't expect it to be this heavy. He moves around with ease."

"Maybe it really is stunting his growth," muttered Hughes. Both couldn't hold back a smirk, hearing an Ed rant echo in their minds. Yeah, they were not ready to but Ed in the past tense, either.

You did not have to be an automail mechanic to see this would barely work, on second thought, maybe not at all. Mustang muttered unknowingly audible, "He must have been badly injured." Blood droplets and smears could be spotted here and there. It was clear he was in fight for his life, most likely with Number 48, just as Barry reported. He placed the limb back in the box, following Hughes into his office. It was lined and stacked with slim boxes. Each box was labeled with a number. They were no higher than two inches and no wider than an average piece of paper. Hughes briefed, "We started to go through them. It was a lab of alchemic experiments from animals to humans, dating back to the Ishval War. They must have moved some of the older boxes from the original building. It is not clear if the work continued under the military or funded by the military but ran as a private enterprise."

Mustang picked a box, and started searching, "They would not have given you the go to investigate if your superior knew about it." Hughes nodded and continued, "We can't find the logic with the numbers. There is no chorological order, no code to what experiment was done for that number, or the date of the experiment, ah really frustrating. Besides the boxes, I found people within cells and the other team in the area I did not get to inspect yet found animals in cages and crates."

The sun had long since set and the night wore on. They silently they went from box to box. Hughes pulled out a box labeled 35742. He took off the lid; it was organized in the same fashion as the others: a file packet sat at the top, with the number scribbled on it. He opened the flap, to see a square black and white photograph paperclipped to left inside corner. It was an unconscious Edward Elric, laid out on a metal slab, stripped to his boxers. A male in a lab coat was hovering over him, disconnecting his automail arm. Hughes could not move or make a sound as he continued to examine the photo. They were only looking for clues, but who was he kidding? How many boxes had they gone though, he had to expect something to be horribly wrong. Did he honestly believe Ed miraculously could have been an exception?

Unfortunately, Mustang was right; Ed had extensive wounds that seemed hastily patched; an IV ran down into his arm. Hughes tried to speak, cleared his throat then tried again, "Roy I found him." Mustang jumped to his feet and instantly cleared the desk. Hughes put the box down, placing the folder next to it. Mustang pulled the folder closer to him, opening it and detaching another square photograph from underneath the paperclip. Hughes on the other hand started to carefully extract the contents of the box. Among which was a single roll of light brown magnetic recording tape. Immediately, he ordered for someone to retrieve the sound playing device located in storage.

The photo Mustang was examining showed an Ed struggling to come to a clear consciousness, as his automail leg was being removed. Mustang placed the photo on the table, flipping the divider of the folder to reveal behavioral and medical notes.

Warning: Several escape attempts, nearly successful.

Day 3: Still in and out of consciousness.

Day 4: Refusing to eat, interrogation - no success.

Day 5: Force fed.

He skimmed down.

Day 24: Wounds almost completely healed, normal bruising.

Day 30: Still no Intel given, stubborn.

After turning over the third divider, there was a small stack of updated photographs. Mustang pulled them out. The one on top showed a short haired, thinner Edward, with extreme frustration filling the features of his face. He had some bruising in those features, most likely from the interrogation processes. Once again in boxers but his wounds had since healed. His wrist was bound to the man escorting him, while another man was holding him up by his waist. On the back, the photo was labeled Day 31.

Placing that photo on the table, he continued to the next one: this photo was taken from a higher angle, capturing the room beneath. Ed's eyes were open, with an eerily blank look- as though his mind was not cognitively there. Mustang's conclusion, he must have been sedated. Was he even aware he was lying in the center of a transmutation circle? Flames of rage swept through Mustangs eyes. The photo was shaking, .this? He quickly flipped to the next. A canine was now present alongside Ed. He had flipped onto his stomach, feebly trying to push himself up with one limb. Now it was evident he was aware of the situation.

Click. Mustang jumped nearly punching someone. Hughes had set up the roll of tape into the machine. There was something recorded on it as sounds started came through.

_Snap. Pop. Electric whine. Someone groaning._ A male voice, "When are they going to invent something better? Every time you have to replace the damn bulb. Fucking annoying. How many did you say you needed?" _Snap. Pop. Electric whine._ A second male voice replied, "That should be enough." When Ed's voice came through, Mustang sank into a chair, while Hughes collapsed into one, "Where am I?" The first man spoke again, "The same place. Fifth lab, further underground." The second male voice hastily came through, "Don't pull out the IV! You lost a lot of blood back there. Easy now…"

_Heavy footsteps, a door squealing to a close._ A new raspy male voice, "Is it recording?" The first male replied, "Yes Sir."A shift and slide of a wooden chair. The raspy voice spoke again, "So, Elric, you're part of Mustang's crew?"

"Since you are a dog of the military you can look up, where I am placed and everything." Even in a stupor he was connecting the dots and being smart about it. They would not have known who he was speaking to otherwise. That raspy voice belonged to a high ranking military official, one who could access all roll information.

A hearty chuckle, "Yes, but that isn't the answer to my question." This guy did not even pick that up? Ed retorted, "He is above me."

"You mean superior?"

Ed grunted, "No, I phrased it right. He is higher ranking but I believe we are evenly matched." The voice interrogating him was becoming impatient, "Did he send you here?" Ed gave no response. "Fine have it your way." Ed yelped in pain for a second but quickly tried his best to hold back from any verbal pain response. Ed coughed for air as the guy continued, "Let's try that again. Did he, Roy Mustang, send you here?"

Ed sighed as though bothered by a moron, "If that were the case, you really think I would have been sent in alone?" His tone had changed during the sentence, as though realizing the bigger picture of the mistake made.

It seemed the guy was satisfied with the answer, by continuing, "Who is Mustang's closest ally?"

This time Ed gave a chuckle, "You must have a thing for the Coronel." He was given another dose of pain, when relieved he continued, "Did he break your heart or something?" _Shifting of fabric_ could be heard, but Ed's voice rang out, "Fine, fine, fine. FINE. I'll tell you."

Mustang swallowed; there would be no way that Ed would have broke that easily. The papers said the interrogation gave no leads.

You could hear the smirk in Ed's voice, "Your mom." Ed was trying his best to hold back emitting any sound of pain but his wounds were his weakness. He couldn't any longer. Finally, the interrogator said, "You can use this little shit."

"SAY THAT AGAIN YOU-" Ed was shut up following the sickening sound of flesh against metal. The second voice asked, "Are you sure sir? Remember she told us not-" but was interrupted by the raspy one, "I don't care, use him."

The tape clicked.

Mustang looked down at the last photo, blood was everywhere, and there was something in the middle of the circle that was unclear. What had they done?! He closed his eyes and sighed. Letting go of all emotion, he let the professional alchemic soldier part of his mind to the test. It all clicked into place. He put the photo down on the table next to the others. Looking to Hughes, "I need to see all of Tuckers work."

"Why?" Mustang slid the two photos over to his confused comrade, "...No. You can't honestly think that they…" his voice trailed off. There was a glare on his glasses now. Mustang could not read any reaction from his eyes, but he stated, "I want this room found, and I want to see it personally."

Mustang was trying to let it all sink in. Why were they trying to extract information from Edward about himself? Why was that so pertinent? Who was she, the one who told them not to do something? Hughes glanced over at his buddy, who was now holding his head in his hands, after running his fingers through his own hair, he sat up and pulled the folder closer to him. He looked back at the dates, to check date 31.

- Day 31: Experiment conducted.

- Day 33: Success.

Success? "Success?! Hughes, what else did you find besides the boxes?"

"People in cells, animals-"Mustang interjected, "Chimeras, where there any successful chimeras?"

Hughes thought, "If they were they were taken with the other animals to be examined at the 3rd lab."

"We are going, now."

An alchemic scientist turned the corner, walking down an empty hallway. His footsteps echoed against the bright white walls. Another scientist poked his head out of the door, "Hey Mr. Collins! I thought you went home for the night."

"Nope, I can't escape work, too exciting with all the new arrivals." Mr. Collins crossed his arms, and rubbed his chin, sighing heavily, "Even so, exhaustion is slowly taking my mind, what room did we put them in?"

The other scientist laughed, "Lab Hall 125. Don't work too hard!" He disappeared into the room he had come from. Mr. Collins smirked to himself as he passed the open doorway. When he turned the corner, saw the door he was looking for and entered. Envy reconstructed back to normal form, flipping on the light, which was very dull. "Jess, this is a pain in the ass. Hey, where are you brat?" He started to look from cage to cage. A chimera with cat's body, but had a lizard's tail, hissed back at him. The next had the body of a lizard but with cat's tail. "What you humans think up is ridiculous. Most of you have way too much time on your hands." Envy finally came across a dog, curled up, not paying any attention to the world. Envy took out a piece of paper that matched the number on the tag of its collar: 35742. "Well well, well, found you," saying the next part slowly, "Edward Elric." The dog's ears perked up and head rose. Its honey colored eyes peering through the bars confining him, Envy continued, "That's right, I am looking for you. When I open this cage, you better not run. Fuck this up and I will fuck you up. Got it?" Ed started to growl, Envy spoke over him, "Hey now, I am trying to get you out of here. Co-op-er-ate." Ed stopped growling but still eyed this person suspiciously. There was a very uneasy feeling associated with this guy.

Envy started to slowly open the door to the cage, whistling, "Man, they really screwed up. Father is really going to lay it on them." Ed walked out; Envy quickly snapped a leash on, shifting back into Mr. Collins. The hair on Ed's back lifted as he started to back up. "Chill. It's still me dog." Putting a hand out for Ed to sniff, Ed registered the same scent, dropping his defense to the unknown. 'Mr. Collins' walked out with the chimera, closing the door behind them; the echoing footsteps were now accompanied with patters made by paws. They continued uninterrupted out of the lab. Envy walked across the street from the lab entrance into the moonlit sitting park. Ed hesitated, crouching low, noticing another uneasy presence in the dark. "Relax, its Lust." Ed stood back up.

Envy looked to Lust commenting, "This is a pain in my ass. It was your fault we didn't get there in time."

"Did father tell you what to do with him?" Lust asked. Envy shook his head, "Nope." Putting his hands on his hips looking down at Ed, "I guess Wrath will have to take in a new pet." Lust sighed, "Go take him for a walk. He needs to stretch out before we attempt to put this on Mr. Wonderful."

As Envy headed out of the park, he switched back to Mr. Collins. And as they walked, the suspicious Ed, followed behind him. He stopped once to stretch his back, which made popping sounds. Envy lifted an eyebrow, "You sound like an old man." They got to a building corner when Envy literally smacked into someone, making that other person fall to the ground. "Hey watch-" Envy recognized the person on his ass, "HAHAHA, problem solved." Coronel Mustang glared up from the ground, Hughes quickly pulling him up to his feet, from behind his shoulders. The dog was wide eyed at the situation before him. Neither of them could open their mouths, before Envy continued, "Wow. I didn't give you enough credit. Here, take your military dog. I don't want 'em."

Mustang questioned, "Who-"

"Were you in pursuit of Elric or not?" Envy chucked the leash at Mustang, "Then shut up and don't ask questions." Envy spun on his heel and headed back.

Mustang and Hughes looked down at the scrawny dog. It had short autumn blonde hair, with a darker brown streak that ran along its back. It was staring unblinkingly up at them, unsure, and frozen in place. Mustang looked back up to question the man, but he vanished. Mustang knelt down, holding gently on the leash; the dog took a step back. Mustang slowly, took his gloved finger to the collar to read the tag, "35742".

The dog's golden eyes watched Mustang carefully, as the man sighed deeply putting on a meek smile, "Hey there Fullmetal. We've been looking for you." Hughes stepped forward. The dog looked up at him as he was pat on the head. Hughes' voice was lost again, this time within the lump in his throat, as Ed started to slowly wag his tail.

* * *

Authors note:

I cannot take the credit for coming up with the idea of Ed being a Chimera. Though the idea is similar, the plot is much different. So I must thank, Sevlow. Maybe there are other stories with this concept, but it was after reading the Fanfiction, Number Twenty Eight. That's where I got this idea anyway. The address to the Fanfiction mentioned is provided below:

s/4046126/1/Number-Twenty-Eight

* * *

The formatting is off, I know :(


	2. Adjustments

Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist. This is not being created for any form of profit.

Author's Note: This is another chapter leading up to the chaos. Warning: from now on it's not going to be as pretty. I am writing (or trying to write) as a book would read.

Please let me know what you think, what you like, dislike, etc.

* * *

**Chapter 2: Adjustments**

Mustang had brought up some rice and chicken from the hotel's diner. Assuming Ed has not had a proper meal in months, his scrawny ass would not have been able to handle a normal meal. After the tough times in Isbval, the Colonel had learned the hard way: do not eat a large steak dinner after having little to nothing for two weeks. As Ed continued to eat what Mustang had put down for him, the Colonel had gotten comfortable by removing his military jacket, hanging it up next to Hughes' on the hooks by the door. Now, they were both sporting the black standard t-shirt that was mandatory to have underneath.

Mustang's hotel room was situated like a suite. It had two couches facing each other, with a coffee table placed in between. Moonlight would have entered in from the windows opposite the entrance, if they were not covered by thick curtains. A queen sized bed's head board was aligned with the left side of the room, and a desk was located in the right corner.

Hughes was sitting back on the couch, wrapping his hands around a warm mug, "Thanks for the coffee." Stem rose from Mustang's cup as it sat on the coffee table; he took the desk chair and positioned it to face one end of the coffee table. Sitting down, Roy let out a mentally and physically exhausted sigh. Immediately, he sat back up. Noticing Ed was sitting directly in line with him- watching. Mustang rested his elbows on his knees, covering his mouth with his hands, pondering. Hughes gave an admiring smile as he said, "You don't ever stop do you?" Mustang replied, "No," muttering the rest, "Not when people need help."

Ed's ears twitched, _I heard that, cause I am not person, I am a dog._ While watching, Ed was realizing that Mustang did indeed need a long restful sleep. He had deep circles under his eyes, was pale, and worry was wrought within his features. But Ed could also tell, by looking to Hughes, that Mustang was not alone in his exhaustion. _What have you been up too? _Ed sat and continued to watch Mustang for his next move.

Hughes took a sip of the coffee, "He seems focused." After a moment… or five, "Are you guys having a staring contest?"

"I am trying, to figure out…. come up with a way to test him. How much of him do we have left? Nina was in a considerable amount of pain, she had some memory and intelligence…some speech…"Mustang let his thoughts trail off._ I am all here… and it sucks._ Ed slowly laid down, dispirited.

Hughes brought his mug down to the table realizing that they had no time to even contemplate the what-ifs and what-to-dos. They did not even understand the entirety of the situation until the early evening. Now, that they had Ed, what would become of him? Thinking back, what would be his wishes if were in Nina's position?...well now that he is… Hughes snapped out of his thoughts when Mustang asked, "Fullmetal." Ed quickly lifted his head, _What?_ "Speak." Ed put his head back down, with a faint disapproving dog grunt. _Genius, I would have done that already. So no, I can't._

"Ha. Ha! What was that?" Hughes was watching in fascination. Ed lifted an ear, only moving his eyes to look at Hughes. _You're both going insane. Go to bed._ Hughes could not help but grin. They did have some of Ed. He sat back into the couch to watch.

Mustang took his hands away from his face, "You understand your old code name." _Wow, how about you do a trick? Play dead. _Mustang stood up, walked over to stand over Ed. Peering down at him, "Not only is he scrawny, he is very… tiny." _Why you- _growling, Ed jumped to his feet, dashed around Mustang, knocking him down from behind the knees. He walked over to look down at Mustang's face, with a faint growl still in his throat. _Who the hell are you calling TINY!?_Ed stopped to see where the sound of laughter was coming from, Mustang propped himself up on his arm, "Glad you find this funny, Hughes."

"It's just a bit of relief to know, Ed is still here." Ed backed up and sat down again. He was unsure how to take that statement. _Relief? _He looked back up at Hughes. Hughes could read the uncertainty combined with frustration in his eyes. Ed slowly laid back down again. Roy was watching him this time. Sitting back up, asking kindly, "Are you in pain?" Ed rolled onto his left side, waving his right front leg, and then rolled to be on his left side, waving his hind left leg. "Makes sense." _That's not all, I don't know how to gesture joints. My brother is better at charades. Al…how can I get your body back like this?_ He got depressed, thinking.

He went back to lying on his stomach. It was Hughes' turn to let out a sigh, his fatherly instincts kicked in. He got up and sat down next to him. He started to pat Ed's head when he spoke, "I'm sorry for being insensitive before. I was only seeing it from my lens." Mustang lifted an eyebrow as Hughes spoke, "Maybe it is selfish, but, I am glad you are still here and alive." Ed looked up, _Now what? I am stuck like this… I can't eat a meal like I use to, can't speak to anyone, can't laugh with you, _as he looked to Mustang, _can't bitch at him_. The emotion shocked Roy to the core. It reminded him of after the war. _I'm not human…they took everything from me. _He laid his head down, putting a paw over his face, _What am I thinking!? I have nothing to complain about; Al had this happen to him! I…I took everything away from him. _He put his chin to the floor. _Heh, guess this _is _what I get, isn't that right?_

Catching on that Ed was swimming alone in a sea of thoughts, Mustang got to his feet gabbing his jacket, "Alright, let's go out for a walk! We will walk Hughes halfway home." Hughes reminded him, "Don't forget the leash." Roy stopped dead, "What? Why? He's not going to run."

"By all means, if you want to pay a fine. You must have your dog on a leash at all times." Hughes threw him the leash.

"This is so wrong," when Mustang looked up he could only see a tail sticking out from behind the couch, Hughes stood up chuckling. "Fullmetal, I can see your tail." Suddenly his tail disappeared from behind the couch. Mustang took two steps to face Ed, "Come on, just let me put this on you." Ed grunted and backed up, Mustang responded with, "You want to go out, to do your thing no?" Ed stopped and put his head down, _This is humiliating. _Mustang gently put on the leash, noticing some scaring around the front on his neck. "There you go, runt." _Dumbass, there are two sides to this leash._ Ed grabbed the leash with his teeth, yanking it, catching Mustang off guard and off balance. He pounced pushing Mustang down to the floor; Hughes was laughing again, "Shouldn't have called him a runt, out bested by Fullmetal." Mustang gowned as Ed waged his tail in silent satisfaction.

Once the three of them were outside, Mustang and Hughes turned their backs giving Ed some privacy. "You should take him back with you Roy." With the look crossing Roy's face, Hughes quickly added, "Wait! Hear me out." A sudden serious tone fell into his voice as he took off his glasses, and started to clean them, "Weird and heavy high military happenings here- as we have heard. They will notice he's missing and someone is bound to recognize him. As we get this sorted out, it's best if he is across the country in your care. As a father, I wouldn't have it any other way."

"You trust me with children, the one who plays with fire?" Hughes chuckled at Mustangs question and replied, "You're short selling yourself. There is no doubt in my mind that will you be researching a method to get him back." He put his glasses back on, "Besides, it's about time you got yourself a dog." Hughes meekly smiled, "Either way Roy, they say a dog is a man's best friend." Mustang felt a tug on his leash, he grounded himself for another random attack, but saw that Ed was just trying to pounce on a pidgin. Mustang made a mental note, 'He also has dog in him too.'

With that, the next morning, Mustang found himself on a train back to East City. It upset him that he had no time to visit the discovered lab. His glazed eyes saw the countryside slide past, but his mind was elsewhere.

All he had to work with was Tucker's research, which was obviously not as sophisticated as those who worked on Ed. Where could he even begin? There were limits to Alchemy, was it even possible to bring Ed back? What was he going to tell the others? No… that's right. For now, Ed did not need pity. His eyes narrowed in his reflection. For a slit second he thought he saw Ed's old reflection in the window, red jacket and all. Mustang stared at the empty seat before him.

He grabbed his black coat, put it on, and made his way through the passenger cars. When he finally reached the freight cars, he unfastened the metal latch and chain. Upon sliding the wooden door open, a chilly draft flew past him. There were chicken's clucking, sheep bahing, and then there was Ed, in the back, quietly curled up in a ball, tied to the wall. Roy walked over, watching Ed's side rise and fall with each breath. He crouched down to his knees; this was the last thing this kid needed. He poked him, "Hey." Ed looked up at him. _What are you doing back here?_ "Not only for your safety, but for some peace of mind, I'm not going let anyone know about your current condition." _Well, that was random. You came all the way here for that? _Ed watched him for a moment before Mustang decided to continue, "Just hang in there Fullmetal, we'll figure it out, somehow." Ed nodded in response, noting- _Why is he so upset abo-_ the freight cabin shook violently, knocking Mustang off his feet. The sliding door Mustang took to enter slammed shut. The chains that latched the door whipped back at the wood.

The sound took Ed to another place. He got on all fours, crouching low, the hair on his back stood up. They were coming back to do more tests. He could hear their voices. He jumped back, pulling on the chains trying to run. Run as fast as his legs would take him. Mustang trying to snap him out of it, "Fullmetal!" Ed could not hear it, he was far away. Those needles. Ed's claws were making groves in the wood, Mustang got onto his knees in front of Ed, "Hey, hey, relax-!" Ed started to growl, baring his teeth, pushing himself up against the wall. The pain. They were going back, they were going back to be analyzed and tested.

Mustang had no idea he damned himself for never even thinking about the wounds one could not see. Ed was now making a sound that pierced though Mustang, a high pitched whine, as though anticipating pain. Mustang he grabbed Ed into a hug, without a second thought. Ed wreathed this way and that, to get out of it, snapping at the air near Mustangs ear, "You're here Ed. Safe. Come on, come out of it. No one is going to get to you." Ed was trembling. Fuck. Who knew what that world could do to a grown man like himself? The kid is strong, but this was too much.

Ed slowly came out of it, letting out soft whines. Mustang slowly withdrew. "Heh, you could have bit my face off…Better?" Ed had his tail between his legs and head low ashamed. _I have lost my mind too._

Mustang stared at a focused point on the ground, "There is nothing to be ashamed of. You have to work through it. I have seen a lot of my men go through similar things after combat." His determined eyes looked straight back at Ed, "And you can't be your asinine stubborn self." Mustang stood up, muttering in a low tone that unaware that Ed could still pick up, "Not something you can do alone." He put Ed's leash on, detaching him from the wall. Ed did not move, confused. Mustang started walking back to the passenger cars. "Let's go. You are coming with me." Ed got up and followed. As they walked through the passenger cars, a conductor stopped them as they approached Mustang's passenger cabin, "Sir, no dogs-"An annoyed Roy interrupted, "He is a highly trained, military canine. He will be staying with me. He serves this country and deserves better than being thrown in fright." Mustang opened the door, letting Ed in and slammed it shut behind him. "Make yourself comfortable." Ed went to jump on the seat booth, but hesitated, his joints were too stiff and pained from the cold. Mustang noticed and lifted him up. He was really light for a medium sized dog. Ed peered out the window for a moment. _The outside… there was a moment where I thought I wouldn't see it again._ He plopped down. _Military canine? Heh heh. I see what you did there._

Mustang put his black jacket over Ed, his body heat still there. He sat, peering down at him, "I'm sorry Ed." _Are you drinking?_ This was a side he has never witnessed. Mustang conversed while gazing out the window, "You know that high ranking asshole, must have picked a dog paring especially for you." When Mustang looked back at Ed, he understood how Hughes could read him, Ed's eyes read confusion. "You called him a dog of the military. Must hit a nerve." _How the hell would you know that? _ His ears perked up. _The tape?! That's what you have been up too. _ Ed felt a gloved hand pat him on the head, he give a wage of his tail, and it all came together. _Thanks._

The train came to a complete stop at the station, when they stepped off, Ed took a stretch. His back popped some. "Your joints?" Ed nodded. Ah, to be back in East City, it looked so different from this view. Ed could smell the bakeries, the shops, and the market so vividly. Mustang started walking, Ed noticed they were headed straight to his office. _This Colonel Bastard never stops._ They were a few feet away from the entrance when Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye came forward from behind a parked motor vehicle, she had crossed the street to work. As soon as she noticed the Coronel, she went into salute, "Welcome back and good morning, Sir."

"Good Morning, Lieu-." Mustang was cut short when Riza questioned, "You went to Central and brought back a dog?" The Colonel nervously started to scratch the back of his head, "I thought I should, um, well you seemed happy with Black Hayate, I thought-" She knelt down and pet Ed hello, "What's its name?" Ed closed his eyes and responded by waging his tail. As weird as it was, he really needed to get use to people and their scents. He could also faintly smell this other dog that was mentioned.

'Shit forgot to give him a name' Mustang was trying to think quickly, but before he could answer, she spoke up again, "You didn't name him yet?"

He lowered his hand back down to his side, "No. I could not come up with one." She stood back up, "We will have to add that to our list of things to do. I am glad you got back safely." As they started walking into the office, "Any word on Scar?"

"No." As soon as he entered the office, Mustang unleashed Ed. Riza's voice dropped a bit, "Anything on Elric?" Mustang glanced over at her, "I will have to give you more details about that and my trip at a later time." She nodded, without another word. Ed did not realize that his absence had affected so many people. He went to go lie on the couch. "Hughes is well. I did not have a chance to see his darling child, who is fine, he would have wept to me if otherwise."Riza smiled, it was unlike Roy to be so short with his answers. Something was up and a cause for worry.

As soon as Ed plopped down, Mustang noticed, "Hey! Off the furniture." Ed just looked back at Mustang like he was crazy. Riza noticed his eyes, "Talk about golden."

"Leave the poor dog alone," Second Lieutenant Jean Havoc entered the room, "How could you deny comfort to that face?!" Mustang mentally ranted 'He gets sympathy! If they only knew...' Havoc looked to Riza, "Another one?" Riza shook her head no, "The Colonel adopted this one." Havoc bent over acting like he was whispering, "Good Luck. Hope he doesn't kill ya."

"Shut it, Havoc!" Havac smirked as Mustang sat at his desk, starting to attack the pile of paperwork stacked that had waited for his return.

That evening, Mustang was getting ready to leave, as Riza walked in noticing Ed, who was now on the floor, "He is really well mannered." 'HA! What a joke.' Mustang thought but said, "He has history that one."

"Colonel. What do you think?" Riza walked over and handed Roy a collar. He examined the small bronze plate that had a named engraved. He smiled, "Heh. Very fitting." Keeping to himself the rest, 'A new, temporary code name.' Riza gently took the collar from her superior and walked over to Ed, who sat up to acknowledge her. "Hey buddy, you finally have a name." She took off the old numbered collar, pocketed it. As she gently put the new one around his neck, she noticed the same scaring as Roy did. "What do you think of Goldeneye?" Ed was waging his tail. _It has a nice ring to it._ Mustang was leaving the room, "You are still a RUNT!" Ed narrowed his eyes, _You wait until we get to your place. I may leave a present by your door._ He turned his attention back to Riza's softer voice, "You guys will make a good match; some adjustments on both your ends but you will both get the hang of each other." She ruffled the top of his head, "He has his own scars too. Take care of him for me?" _Aah! Normal dog response, normal dog response, normal dog response._ He nudged the side of her head with his own while waging his tail. It would take some getting use too. This is beyond the lines of personal space a normal human would never enter. He had to remind himself he was a dog now. "Welcome to the team."

Ed carefully got up; his joints cracking a bit. He followed Riza out the door. Mustang's voice rang out, "DAMN IT! I forgot the leash!" Riza smirked, glancing down at Goldeneye who glanced up at her. She was already holding it, knowing he would have forgotten.

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Reminder: Review to let me know what you like and dislike! We all need constructive stuff and motivation! Next chapter will be up ASAP.


	3. No Shadow of a Doubt

Acknowledgements: Thank you to ColonelBastard, that random anonymous person, and _Readers Like You_. It is due to your continuous support that this is still going.

Author's Note: Please keep in mind the time period: Early 1900s. I had a feeling people might lift an eyebrow in this chapter.

Read, Enjoy, Review! (Please?)

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**Chapter 3: No Shadow of a Doubt**

It was Friday morning that felt like a Monday morning, he did not want to get up and go to work, too lazy… Mustang's eye opened and it peer over at his alarm clock. The hands read, 6:25, five minutes before the alarm clock went off. As he stretched, he took his right hand, grabbed the time off his nightstand and slid the switch so he wouldn't have to hear it. He hated that bell, listening to the morning calls of the birds left a sweeter morning ambiance than an obnoxious rattling piece of metal. He sank back into the bed, pulling the covers over his shoulders.

A warm light filled his room, even though the chill of the night lingered. Damn, he really did not want to get out of his warm bed. He could hear the clock tick and watched it click to 6:30. He swung his legs over, reaching for his robe hanging on the wall. The heating kick on, he knew by the sound of steam clanking within the iron cast radiators spreading throughout his apartment.

He glanced over at the bed he made for Ed, it was untouched. He shuffled down the short hallway, passing the bathroom, looking for his new roommate. He spotted Ed on the floor basking in the warm sun, let in by the glass door which led out to the patio. He was wide awake, looking up at the man with disheveled hair and a pillow print on his face. A thought crossed Mustangs mind, 'Did he even sleep?' He asked, "Were you comfortable last night? You could have slept in with me."

_Colonel please wake up and rephrase that._ He turned to lay on his stomach, resting on his elbows. Mustang continued, "Wait, no… is it because I snore? Please tell me I don't." Ed lifted an eyebrow, the almighty Flame Alchemist worried that he snored?! If he could, he would be holding his stomach with laughter; instead he rolled over landing back on his elbows. _Don't you have lady friends that would have told you that?_ He switched the eyebrow lift to the other eye. Mustang shook his head, "If I am not careful, people are going to think I've lost it talking to a dog as though he were human." He did not mean to cause offence, he quickly added, "Because you are." Ed was humbled, slightly waging his tale. Why was he shocked by this? Even though Al was a tin can, they treated him as if he were human. _The universe has a strange way of working_. He and his brother always stumbled into horrible events, but always stumbled upon the greatest people. Maybe it was a reminder that there was always hope in the world.

Roy scratched his head as he walked into the kitchen. When Ed realized Roy was headed to the ice box, he jumped up. Roy opened the door, Ed scrambled in, sliding under his arm to look at what was inside. _Whatcha got? _"You're that hungry?" Mustang could not help but smile. At least the kid had an appetite. _What can I have?_ Waging his tail, looking back up to him and back at what was inside. He stopped for a second, sniffing. The chill from the melting ice hit his nose but something else-_ .cheese!_ He nudged Roy, _Come on feed me!_ Roy took out some eggs and cheese. "How about an omelet?" Ed danced around him before he could put anything on the counter to prepare the meal. "Alright, Alright. Let me cook. You're lucky. Normally I go by my food." As he was preparing the meal, Ed sat as patiently as he could, licking his chops. Roy could not determine if this was the normal Ed or the dog in him. By matching the memories of the old Ed to the dog Ed, it occurred to him they acted similar, so much so, now he could not tell the difference. 'I guess it was a fitting pair. Instead of it being a spiteful gesture, it might work to be a benefit.'

After, Mustang prepared for the day. He went back out into the living room, this time Ed was sitting patiently by the door, ready to leave. As he grabbed for his black coat, "You want to come to the office again?" Ed whimpered. Roy put his arm through the sleeve, "What?" Ed pawed the door. _Open the door._ Roy put his arm through the second sleeve confused. _Open-the-door._ He watched as a frustrated Fullmetal tried to open the locked door himself, _HURRY UP AND OPEN THE FUCKING DOOR! _"Okay I get the point." He quickly unlocked it and opened it without thinking, Ed jetted out. "ED!" Ed could not get there fast enough, and at this point he did not give a shit. He lifted his leg to the tree, _Oh yeah..._ He leaned his head against it, sweet satisfaction across his face. Mustang stopped, saw, spun around, and slapped his forehead with his gloved hand. With his back to him, "I completely forgot." _I was beginning to think Havac was right. I was going to explode and die- in your living room_. When Ed was done, he sat next to Mustang who looked down, "Ed-" Ed let out a loud bark covering his name, "Ah! Goldeneye, sorry." People from across the street were starring. "Heh… heh…" Ed pawed at the leash that was partially hanging out of his pocket. Mustang attached the leash to his new collar; holding it loosely, muttering, "So wrong… in so many ways."

He and Ed walked side by side. They rounded the corner, Ed's ears perked up when he heard Riza's voice, "What a well behaved dog you have there." She was crossing the street with Black Hayate. When she reached them, she snapped into a salute, "Good morning, Sir, and to our special operative, Goldeneye." Ed waged his tail, Mustang noted that Hawkeye was right in their little quarrel a few weeks ago, dogs could smile, "Good Morning, Lt. and Mr. Hayate." Hayate approached Ed warily at first, he started to sniff him and semi-recognized his scent, thus he started to wag his tail. "I am glad they don't have problems with each other," Riza commented, Roy continued to monitor in silence. Ed turned back around as they started walking to the office, Mustang was waiting for it. Something wet and cold hit Ed's ass. _ What the fuck was -?! _He jumped, putting his tail between his legs running forward, pulling a laughing Mustang behind him on the leash. _What is it with dogs and asses?! _Riza tried to hide the smile on her face with her hand. It was a long time since she had seen him laugh like that.

As Hayate came closer again, Ed turned around and almost started to growl, _No-_ Mustang stopped him, "If you dare cause trouble, I will neuter you." Ed snapped his head to look at him, horrified._ You wouldn't, not to another man. That's just inhumane._ "And don't think I won't," Mustang added with a smirk. _But-this is ass violation!_

As disgruntled, Ed continued to walk with Hayate side by side, in front of their caregivers. Mustang apologized, "Sorry, he's- he's semi-dog friendly. I swear I think he thinks he's human." Riza grinned, "Most dogs do. Is he a retired Military canine?"

"Eh, he is stuck with me, so I can't say he is retired." Mustang looked over to Riza as she mentioned, "I assumed you might be rehabilitating him, that's why I thought it might be good idea to bring Hayate today. Anyway, do you have any random trips this weekend?" She jested, "Will you be bringing back a cat this time?" Mustang chuckled she continued, "Or maybe a parrot?" Mustang waved his hand as though waving her assumptions away, "No, but I do have a phone call coming in tomorrow night." Riza nodded. It would be a Saturday call, and she knew it would be from Hughes. She didn't press any further. They both walked quietly, noting how they simply enjoyed just being around each other.

Lunch time rolled around, Mustang glanced around the pile of papers his desk to see a sleeping Ed on the couch. Hayate was playing with a toy on the floor below him. 'What's with him?' Riza brought him out of his thoughts, "What's wrong?" Worried he replied, "I don't think he slept at all last night." Riza also looked at Goldeneye, "That's common, most likely he isn't use to his surroundings. He replied in his thoughts, 'Or maybe he only sleeps when there is a group of people, feeling safer in numbers.'

"He seems to really trust you." She did not expect to such a surprised look in his face when he asked, "How do you know that?" To which she replied, "By the way he watches you. For an older dog, he already seems very loyal to you." A small appreciated smile appeared on his face, "Is that so? I know this may sound odd, could you stay here with him? I 'll bring back lunch. I don't want to wake him."

She nodded, "Certainly."

Mustang walked into the Deli and was greeted by a new employee, "Hello Colonel." A bolding older man was standing behind the counter ready to take his order, "What will you be having today?" Mustang stated his order of two sandwiches, two coffees, and random slices of meat, "They are for our dogs."

"You got it, Sir."

When the man finished preparing the meals, Mustang knew the answer already, but asked when paying, "Ex-Military?" The man nodded, "Proudly served my time." He handed the food over in a paper bag and drinks in the cardboard tray. He walked over to open the door for Mustang but stumbled, Mustang's quick thinking saved the man a fall, even with the drinks in hand, "Are you okay?" Noting to himself that skill must have come from not wanting to spill his scotch at the bars.

"Sorry, Sir. It's my leg." Mustang helped to sit him down. The man lifted his pant leg, "Damn old thing. It's gotten old with me." Mustang questioned, "Don't you have a mechanic?" The man spat out a, "HA, that's an expensive luxury." Here the Colonel had been use to Ed's convenience with Winry… WINRY! A mischievous grin spread across his mouth, "Well I have a solution for you." The man patted Roy's arm, "No no, don't-"

"I happen to know one of the best automail mechanics through a friend of mine." Mustang watched as the man sighed and his eyes showed how sincere he was, "Thank you, sir."

"No thank you, for you helped me with something." Mustang walked out straight to a payphone, asking the operator to make the connection for the person his was looking for, "Hello is Ms. Rockbell there?"

A blunt Pinako retorted, "And who is calling?" To his reply, "Colonel Roy Mustang, Ma'am." He heard Pinako's sift the receiver, hearing muffled yell to Winry as she covered the phone with her hand. Winry's anxious out of breath voice came on seconds later, "You found him?!"

"No, it neither good nor bad, I do not have any news to relay to you at the moment. What I can say is Maes Hughes and his team is actively on it." He heard some ease fall into her voice, "Oh, thank you for letting me know. Is there another reason for your call? Is there something I can help you with?" Mustang noted her kindness, "I do have a favor to ask, it really is a job for you. I will give you all expenses paid to come to East City. There is someone here that needs you."

Roy was still out of the office when Ed woke, he quickly looked around and jumped when Riza spoke, "Don't worry, he will be back. He's out getting us lunch." She put her fountain pen down, walked over and sat next to him. Hayate jumped onto her lap. Looking down at her companion, "You know you're going to grow too big to do this." She pondered out loud to herself, "I wonder if he is ordering from that new restaurant, Sergio's." After a moment she corrected herself, "Nope, when he concentrates on something, he becomes blind to some things around him." She patted Ed's head, "You are doing a great job. He hasn't been like this since before Ed went missing, which makes me wonder..." Goldeneye's ears lifted and head tilted to one side. Sorrow filled her eyes, but at that moment Roy walked in. "Delivery!"

Riza put Hayate down and walked over to Roy who was over the bag taking the food out. "The others are still out to lunch?" Riza nodded, "Yes, Sir." Ed pulled himself off the couch, when his leg popped Mustang's head snapped up to look at him. Riza spotted worry in the shadows of his eyes for a split second before he covered it with a joke, "Easy, you alright old man?" He turned to Hawkeye, "Hey doesn't the delivery boy get a tip?"

She bluntly replied, "Nope, out of singles." Ed looked up at the two of them, _I knew they had a thing but I didn't know they hid it from each other. Talk about sexual frustration_. His eyes narrowed for a second, _Heh, heh…I have a plan._

They left for the night, while walking with Mustang, Ed sniffed the air, _Okay, new restaurants have new leather…_ He stopped in front of a place, looked up at the window and saw the words in cursive, Sergio's. _Found it._ "What is it?" Ed sniffed the air, _oh surprise! Lookie who it is. _Hayate barked and Ed played along. Riza looked at the place, and did not notice Mustang lurch forward, do to an unexpected head but to the back of his leg. He gave ED a sharp look, who nodded his head toward Riza. Ed new it clicked for him when his eyes grew wide for a second, Mustang coughed, "Tomorrow, I was going to try out this new place, but I would um…" Ed hit him again, "I would feel odd going alone, care to join?"

Riza was shocked but gave a confident, "Sure. What time?"

"Would six be okay? I'll pick you up." Riza smirked, "Are you sure you're not tied up?" Puzzled, he looked down at himself, he was wrapped in leashes. "Damn it, F" quickly rephrasing before saying Fullmetal, "FFFFFFFFFFFFFangul! (1)"

That night, lay sat on his bed all ready to sleep when he glanced at the bed he made for Ed. He got back up and stood in the door way to his room. Ed was alert at the end of the hallway, guarding again, "Fullmetal." He threw his head back and ended up falling backward to look at him upside down, _What?_ "Get in here." He let out a defiant dog whine, _WHAT?! _"Now. That's an order." Ed got himself on his feet and slowly walked down the hallway, staring at Mustang, who backed up to let him into his room. Mustang knelt down, "Your pain is getting worse?" Ed put his ears back. Mustang put his hand on his back, "Just relax." He examined Ed's back professionally, as a doctor would, to feel for the bones and connections. "I get it, Fullmetal." _Get what?_ "It will take some time but you will get use to normal life." Ed now understood what he meant without him having to explain more. Roy must have felt the same restlessness after Ishval- waiting for them to attack, in Ed's case, waiting from them to take him to the room. "Nothing is going to happen, they would have to get past me first." He gestured to his gloves now placed on the nightstand. "Bear with me. I am checking your hips. There is definitely something off about the limbs that wouldn't normally be there." He guided Ed to the bed made from pillows and blankets; it felt warm to Ed. "Lay with your back to me." He did as told. Even though they always had their differences, he had nothing but trust and respect for the guy. "I'll pick up some light pain meds tomorrow. For now this will have to work." He carefully massaged the stiffness and tightness out of the muscles surrounding the foreign limbs, before he knew it, Ed was fast asleep.

He was in his cell, Ed watched the guy behind bars on the other side of the hall, rocking muttering to himself. He heard metal latch to his own confinement was lock. Ed let out a bothered tone, "What do you want now?" Not a word was said to him, ignored like he was nothing. He never went with them without a fight. They still pinned him down to get the restraints on him, he was tied to a "doctor", as another held him up by his waist. He causes himself a mental cycle of confusion when trying to figure them out. Why were they treating him so well, considerably well? Full meals three times a day, yet the guy across the hall only got one meal of scraps. They carefully tended to the wounds that he had received from the Slicer Brothers. Something was wrong and Ed had it, "My turn to ask questions: How attached the slicer brothers to the armor? What is the point-" Another guy with a camera came out of a room, "Okay, they're ready." Ed became extremely frustrated, "Ready for what?!" The camera man lifted up the camera. Flash. _Snap. Pop. Electric wine_. At first he saw spots in his eyes, but they widened as they watched blood creeping out over the hallway floor. He followed it to the room the cameraman came from. Ed turned his head to see past the door. He saw a glimpse of dead eyes, a pile of corpses…recent failed experiments. His heart began to race within his chest, no no no he really wasn't here. This was just a joke, he was in East City, sleeping, Al right there next to him. He would wake up any moment now, yeah that's right. He started to really struggle now, "Get off me, GET THE FUCK OFF ME!" His mouth was covered with a cloth. A strong sweet scent filled his nose, his body fell limp. It was hazy, his back was cold, stone… he turned to his side. A dog? He looked up, there were lines on the ground. Wait… wait… He tried to get up. This was wrong, a taboo, Tucker… He…There was a flash. He looked up at a man's face as the hands slapped down onto the stone, the lines were highlighting in red. Ed felt it, the same as when they tried to bring their mother back, this time, more painful than the last. _Al-Winry-Hughes-Mustang- I'm going to die._ A blood curtailing scream emitted from his mouth-

"ED!" Ed work to onyx eyes wrought with worry. "Hey, you're here. They're not." Ed felt his body trembling. Roy had his arm out to the door, a glove on and snapped his fingers. Flames flew down the hallway and disappeared. The shadows of doubt, the tricks of the mind which lingered disappeared.

The next morning, Ed woke to Roy sleeping in a sitting position next to him, guarding Ed from his post-traumatic stress. _I thought no more guarding Colonel… Bastard_. He put a paw on his lap and rested his head on it.

Roy woke up and looked down at him. "Feeling better?" Ed let out a 'humpf'. Roy put a hand on Ed's head, patting his new pal. They had a relatively restful day, expect for the time the ice delivery came. Then Roy wondered if the Milk man would ever return after Ed chased him halfway down the block, and finally Ed ran into the glass patio door trying to attack a squirrel. Ed laid with a slight headache in front of the fire place while Roy studied Tucker's work.

That night, Roy had meticulously shined his shoes, put on black slacks, tucked in his white shirt blouse. He grabbed his light brown vest, fixed the navy blue tie around his neck, which matched his suit jacket. When he walked out of the hallway, he was met Ed's tilted head, _Spiffy_. He put on a pair of white gloves, grabbing Ed's leash. _OH NO, not in the plan._ Ed once again hid behind the couch, his tail sticking out. "I am only taking you to her place, I'll leave you there with Hayate to keep you company." He mentally thought, 'I can't leave you alone in the apartment.' Satisfied Ed came out.

As they walked, Ed noticed Roy's hand clenching nervously onto the leash. _Mr. Cool becomes Mr. Wimpy. _Ed glanced at him, _He keeps a cool head, but when it comes to his own life, he second guesses himself._ As they approached her door, he stopped. _Cold feet?_ Ed took the leash in his mouth, yanked and started a tug of war. _Come on, you can do it. _He turned around and starting to pull Mustang towards- _Damn it, which door. Wait I can- _He sniffed the air. _My canine senses are tingling, they are telling me they are behind door number two._ "Damn it, Ed-HHHHHHHHH Goldeneye. Stop-" When they were finally in front of the door, Ed nudged Roy's hand. _Go on. You got this._ Mustang sighed and knocked. A few moments later, Riza opened the door. She was wearing a navy blue turtle neck sweater, black pants, and a white coat. Her hair fell down to her shoulders. "Good evening, Riza. I was hoping it would be okay if I left this _runt_ here with you tonight." Ed glared up at him, _Don't forget,_ _I have presents for you Mustang. _"Sure, I have no problems with that, Sir." Mustang gave her a look, she replied, "Habits die hard, _Roy_." He unleashed Ed who walked into the apartment. Riza closed the door behind her.

They arrived at the restaurant, and once seated, "Order whatever you like, anything, it's on me tonight." Riza looked at him, "No I can-" His eyes gave her a warming look and she went quiet, they always had that. Both of them were secretly content with the fact they shared that bond, even though they were so close, yet so far apart (generously due to the professional barriers provided by their work environment). They both ordered some wine, after some small talk and food in their stomachs; Riza's eyes met Roy's. "You found Ed." Roy nearly spit out his wine. She was good, real good at piecing things together. He was a man that never lied; only fit words to the truth when some information could not be shared. "Is he alright?"

Roy shook his head, "He's tough, but everyone has a limit. Hughes found a new 'establishment' in Central, part of the one Ed was investigating without my knowledge. It gave us some clues. I was unable to brose the new shop." He took a sip of the wine, "We have him in special custody. Hughes personally straightened it all out. Tonight, however, is when I hope to hear more about this unraveling story." He watched her for a moment, "What gave it away?"

"I haven't seen you this happy in a while." He shrugged, she continued, "The icing on the cake was this meal. There is a certain Colonel I know." Mustang put his elbow on the table, resting his chin in his hand, looking elsewhere, slyly commenting, "Oh really? Going to talk about other men while out with me?" She chuckled and started her story, "He is a man with great determination and conviction. If someone in his command, or even a friend, was found to be in danger," she gazed into his eyes, "he will never rest or enjoy the pleasures of life until he is satisfied to the extent of what he can do to help to make it right." He sat back as she continued, "And this man, is so humble, that he does not even realize how loyal supporters are." He had no response. He checked the time, put the money on the table, stood up, and held out his hand to her, "Shall we go?" She blushed, nodded, and took his hand.

They walked hand in hand, Mustang chuckled, "I was not expecting that. You are always full of surprises."

"I would think you would be used to it by now."

They walked in the office, and reluctantly let go of each other's hands. Roy took off his coat, laying it over his arm. He quickly stepped behind Riza holding her collar as she took her coat off, putting both jackets on the hooks near the door. Blushing, Roy took her hand in his again, guiding her to his desk. His left hand reached for a second chair he was planning on putting near his desk to wait for the phone call. She felt her heart flutter in her chest as she dared, before he touched it, Riza pulled him towards her. He turned to face her and felt her lips upon his. Her right hand rested on his chest, her left hand was still entwined with his. She slowly pulled back, resting her head on his right shoulder. She could feel his heart pounding. He let go of her hand and wrapped his arms around her, holding her. He pulled back a bit, she looked up at him; they met each other halfway. This time there was no more nervousness. There was no shadow of doubt that there could be rejection in the cards.

Her arms slid up, he felt her fingertips glide up the sides on his neck, making a shiver go down his spine. Their kiss went deeper, he pulled her closer. He put his around the small of her back, her hands continued going up and through the hair on the back of his head. She pushed herself up against his chest, inviting him, but he would not dare do what he wished - he was a respectful boy. His courage lied on the battlefield, not in the heat of a battle between the sexes. They broke apart, their hearts racing, breathing a bit heavier than before. He placed his forehead on hers, both smiling as though they were the happiest people on the planet; this was a long time coming. All the anxiousness in the beginning of the night seemed so silly now.

He tapped her back with his finger three times, and she tapped twice with hers, in the right spot on the back of his neck. Again shivers went down his spine, and Riza knew it. They both chuckled at the joke, their secrets.

Three, Are you ready?

Two, Ready.

He kissed her again. She pushed herself up and into him, this time with enough force to push Roy into the wall, a muffled, _hmph_, emitted from him. Her hands slid down over his chest, meanwhile he traced his fingers up her back, he felt her grab his sides, arching her back, pushing her lower half onto him. He broke the kiss, with a quick intake of air. "Riza, this-" She put a finger on his lips. Her eyes bared all emotion, as they starred into his. "This is unconventional on the first date, but we have been to gather longer-" He finished even though her finger was still placed there, "-than we _were_ willing to admit." She chuckled as he smiled. She knew he was trying his best to hold back, that was the chivalrous Roy Mustang she fell in love with. She gently pulled on his tie, guiding him to meet her lips again. She unknotted the tie, and with the wiz of fast sliding fabric, pulled from around his neck. Her hands found his sides again and untucked his shirt. His hands were exploring her lower back. He felt the faint traces of the scar he had adorned her. They broke the kiss, lifting her turtle neck over her head. He kissed her neck lightly as his shirt was quickly undone. She again placed her hand on the back of his neck; the other found one of the belt loops of his pants. She felt his rapid warm breath on her skin. She could not stop her body from expressing her pleasure has his strong hands trailed down her spine. She took in a sharp breath of air, near his neck, kissing him softly. Her skin was soft and warm, her scent intoxicated him. He undid the clasp to her bra, which met with the tie on the floor.

Before he could continue on her, she kissed him, their tongues danced as she slid her hand down the front of his pants, feeling what she was doing to him. She grabbed what she could through his clothes, he pushed his back against the wall involuntarily pushing his hips towards her, she moved up kissing his neck, feeling the vibration of a groan that came from deep within his throat. She pushed her bare chest against his; the feeling of excitement rippled through her body. She unfastened his belt, but was stopped from any further action as he hoisted her up, taking her legs, ushering them to wrap around his waist. Her arms entwined around the back of his shoulders hold her close. His arms held her back in so that she could not fall backward. She felt safe - he would never let her fall.

The heat that was pooling, in their lower regions against each other, was becoming unbearable. He walked with her over to the desk; he helped her sit before leaning over her, laying her back. As she was letting go of him, he trailed one hand down to her breast, the other cupped the side of her face as he kissed her passionately, a muffled moan escaped from her lips. Her legs pulled her closer to him, pushing and grinding on him. Breaking the kiss for air, he moaned into her ear. He put his hands on her hips, he felt for her pants line, to the button, unsnapped it-

RING! He slammed down on the desk. RING. They looked at each other, they had forgotten the reason why they were there. They both had to laugh as he picked up the phone, trying to slow his breathing. "This is Mustang."

"Hey Roy!" Riza was close enough to hear Hughes' cheerful voice on the line, she laughed into the crook of Roy's neck. Mustang bluntly replied, "I hate you so much right now." This made her laugh a bit more.

"Why? What did I do?" Hughes questioned as a smile broke on his face, but he regained his composure. The more serious Hughes tone came through, "Look I don't have long." Riza let Roy stand up, "Scar was around but we have evidence he is out of Central, last seen at the Train Station with a young girl. As for something randomly odd, they let him go Roy, the Crimson Alchemist." The blood drained from his face. Her legs let him free. Could he possibly be coming here to hunt Ed down? "I almost have it, but something is missing in the puzzle. I still don't understand why they are after you. I have someone here to talk with you, he can explain something else better than I can." A split second later Barry yells into the phone, "_Hey!_ Has that Al kid called you?"

"No, why-" Mustang was cut off, "Wellllllll, I kind of told him somethings that may have upset him. Hughes isn't happy with me, ANYWAY ANYWAY , I educated him on soul attachments. I told him that anyone who attaches a soul can mess with memories, create new ones etc etc. This doctor once told me, a soul cannot just go anywhere. You see, it's like this: just because you love a car, does not mean you attach your soul to it! Right?! What would happen? Maybe you can last for a while but it belongs to its rightful body. Both would wait or search for the other! They were trying to determine a time frame of when each gives up, but alas! Everyone is different." This hit Roy hard; he moved over and sat in his chair. He put his head in his forehead, his strict eyes came back. His other hand that held the phone to his ear had white knuckles. "As for certain, um what can I say, animals? Yeah that's good, ANIMALS. Well, it's as long as the body hold out, same with us. (2)"

Hughes came over the phone again, "Roy? Roy are you still there?" Roy responded, "Yeah?" Hughes asked not giving Roy to digest the information, "Have you found anything more to reverse it?" Roy sounded angry at himself and frustrated, "No, his work was brainless, half-baked bullshit. It is blatant there as to why he failed. I need access to the deeper parts of those libraries you have in Central." Hughes paused, "Yeah, I will see what I can do." Mustang muttered, "Thanks, and I don't hate you."

Hughes smirked on his end, "I know, having a moment?" Roy blushed before he could respond Hughes chuckled, "About time. Take care of yourself I will call you sometime the week."

"Stay safe Maes." Mustang hung up and sat back. He looked up to find Riza, she put clothed her arms around him, kissing him on his temple. She was already dressed, for she knew that call would echo in his mind. Even though she didn't know the contents she understood his language, nothing in that call was good news. Mustang sighed upset from all angles, she whispered, "There will be other times." He smiled that did make him feel slightly better, "Deal." On their way back, hand in hand, he informed her on what he could, about the Crimson Alchemist and Al. Leaving Ed out of it.

She opened the door, Ed scampered out, _Can't. Take. Any. More. Dog. Language. I learned enough to last a lifetime. Let's go home now._ Before Riza shut the door, Mustang said over his should, "Monday is going to suck." She smirked as she closed the door. She turned her back to it, slid down and found herself amused with a happy playful dancing Hayate.

As they walked back, Ed pranced proudly, only a further away from Roy than usual, _It seems there was a job well done, ay there Colonel._ His gaze looked upset when he looked at Ed.

In the same moment, Roy wondered why Ed was prancing around and there seemed to be a smirk on Ed's face? Roy blushed, scrawled, and looked away. Oh damn it, he knew something happened. He had those doggy senses. He smirked, "Hey Goldeneye, I missed you! Want a hug?" _What's wrong with you?! NO! Go away!_

* * *

_(1) _Fangul: Sicilian-American evolution of the Italian expression "Fa' un culo," which literally means "Do an ass" and/or "go fuck an ass". As a New Yorker, I grew up hearing the term, and I only thought it fitting since he was standing in front of an Italian named restaurant, even though Italy does not exist in their world.

_(2) _I know this is a tad bit diverting from the 2009/Manga series. There seemed to be hints of this when they spoke. Think about the molecular degeneration after using the abilities of the animal you are not suppose to have.

* * *

Review! LET ME KNOW THINGS PLEASE?!

Final Notes: Even though I have all the chapters planned out, this chapter worked out differently and ended up being another prelude to the chaos chapter. I am currently in the works of chapter 4. I could not wait to write this chapter.

PS I know about all that random historical stuff because I grew up in New York and lived in a very old house that dated back to the 1910s. We had a normal refrigerator but I would hear stories from my grandparents about ice boxes and such.

I hope you enjoyed. 11 pages on Word. Stayed up till 5am last night to write it. Today was all editing my sleepy work.


	4. United and Departed

Disclaimer: Hiromu Arakawa is the creator of the Fullmetal Alchemist enterprise.

Authors note: My apologies that it has been a while for this story to be updated. First: I became distracted by another idea and fanfic. Second: I had surgery last week and the medication, let's just say that the English language was butchered more than usual. Thank you for coming back to read. Hope you enjoy.

Sorry for any crazy grammatical errors, I threw this up because it was taking me so long and I know a few of you that I have spoken to can't wait much longer.

Warning: This chapter contains violence, gore, maybe I will throw in a death or two…? Now the real fun begins.

* * *

**Chapter 4: United and Departed**

Hughes looked down at the phone as he hung up, "_Finally_." He chucked looked up at Barry and Major Armstrong, "Remind me to interrupt them on their wedding night." Barry's laugh echoed in his suit of armor, "HOW CRUEL... I like it." Hughes sighed as he sat back in his chair, "I appreciate you staying late Major." He rubbed his temples, "Crash course in alchemy… I have a new admiration for the Elric brothers. It is remarkable what those boys have accomplished at such a young age." The Major's features darkened at the mention of the Elric's, he still did not know Ed was in safe hands. Hughes, Barry, Mustang, and Ed himself were the only ones.

Alex looked down at the tin man, "Barry, why _are _you helping us?" It seemed like this question had weighed heavily on his mind. Barry's laugh split through the tension, "This is entertaining, much more than I can say for my old job. Big wigs, explosions, mystery's… I COULD WRITE A BOOK! So very entertaining!"

* * *

"This is not entertaining," Envy noted sitting on Bradley's desk. He lifted a desk thing-a-ma-jig to examine it closer, nonchalantly adding, "At this rate, they'll kill him."

"Did you instigate that?" The Führer stood by the window looking out to the city. He was trying to catch Envy in his normal exaggeration but met a stare reflected by the glass, "I am telling you the hatred this guy harbors for Flamey is off the chart… if there was a chart."

Gluttony piped up, "I can make one! But then I wanna eat it!" Lust groaned, "You are getting really annoying."

"Does father know?" Envy asked placing the glass thingy thing back down on the desk watching Bradley nod leaning over grabbing a fountain pen. "I am ordering them here to keep an eye on them." He shifted some papers, signing a few as it was Envy's turn to groan in dissatisfaction, "Now I have to play babysitter?!" Lust questioned, "What about his men?" Envy's cold laugh ensued, "Human shields? Oh Wrath-"

"I am ordering all of them here anyway, Envy." He picked up the papers and started to cross the room. Envy said to no one in particular, "It's ridiculous how humans put values on human lives. Shielding Mustang, a man they deem more worthy for life." A smirk stretched across his face, "Entertaining… watching them fall like dominoes Never fails." Pride walked into the room passing his 'dad', "You think they would be smart enough to learn by looking at the Elric brothers, there is no value on a human soul."

* * *

It was Sunday, Roy was dressed in his casual clothing sitting on a bench right outside the train station. Goldeneye faithfully sat at his heels as they were finishing up lunch. Roy noticed Ed's ears twitch at the high pitched halting of a train. "That must be painful." Ed lowered his head, _Now you come to that conclusion?! We have been here for an hour! _This brought Ed to wonder why they were near the station at all. If he had to hear that damn sound- "Mr. Mustang?" Ed's ears perked up. His head snapped in the direction of _that_ sound. The visual confirmed that he was not hearing voices. _Winry?_ - was only a few feet away, carrying her heavy automail equipment suitcase. The familiar clanking of metal followed. _Al?! You're okay!_ He perked up a bit, waging his tail at the echoing voice, "Hey Colonel Mustang, Sir! Sorry we are late." Suddenly Ed became ridged. _Why are they here? What's going on? _The dog's head turned to look at his companion, unsure of what to do. Ed never noticed when Roy stood to greet them with a warm smile, "Welcome back to East City. I was not expecting you Al."

Winry nervously looked up to Al, "I hope its okay. After you called I phoned Al. If I was headed this way why not meet up? It seems like forever since we last got to see each other." Roy put his hands in his pockets; the leash was around one of his wrists. He peered down at Ed trying to gage his reaction, and it was not at all the one he expected. Ed figured, that maybe, if he did not move he would be left unnoticed. Clearly that was stupid idea, hello?! Al loved animals and missing the sight of a dog next to Roy, not even a logical possibility.

Al hurried forward, excited to greet Mustangs new pal, "You got a dog?!" Ed's ears were flat on his head, _So you don't know._ A bit of gratitude toward the bastard swelled up in Ed. Ed nudged Roy as a thank you, hoping it would get through, which was confirmed by Roy's smile and pat on the head. So they were hiding the truth, in a way lying, but it kept Al from insane research to fix the issue, or doing something drastic, like putting himself in danger in order to correct Ed's predicament. It gave him time to consider the options, _Come to think of it, what options? Talk about a messed up family: Tin man, canine, dead mom, and estranged father. The Elrics, your normal everyday family._

Ed snapped back from his inner monologue when Roy responded to Al, "Yes, the team gave him the codename Goldeneye. He's got some history." Winry knelt down holding her hand out to him. The scent Ed knew was amplified by his dog senses, reminding him of home. Even though it brought comforting memories, his nerves were wreaked over this encounter. Goldeneye subconsciously leaned onto Roy's leg. "Hey buddy, relax." Winry brought a finger to her lips thinking, "Well maybe he's intimidated by Al."

Roy burst out into laughter, 'Ed intimidated?! Since when…' Quickly trying to mask why, "Not a chance. Intimidation is the last thing that gets at this runt." _That's it._ Ed stood up and started to lift his leg to Mustang but felt a pat on his head from Al. Goldeneye froze. Something in this moment caused Ed's heart to shatter. All he wanted to do was sit down and talk with his brother… be bitched at by Winry for the state of his automail… he wanted to tell him everything he discovered in the fifth lab… all that came out was a "Aruu ruu ruu" whine as he tried feebly to speak. He tried again moving his jaw trying to form words. Now the overwhelming need to cry flooded him, and couldn't even do that.

Hearing the sound and watching this action, shook the Flame Alchemist to the core. He knew what Ed vainly trying to accomplish and began to regret this idea. Instead of helping him, this was making things worse.

Winry's soft voice tingled in Ed's ears, "Hey, hey why so sad?" She took the dog's face in both hands. She rubbed his check with her thumb as though to wipe away tears, "Maybe we remind you of someone you miss?" She swore she could see _his_ soul in those eyes… she shook her head to clear her mind, "Come on now, new friends! As Ed would say, 'You can't move forward if you keep regretting the past. You have two feet,' Well in your case you have four, 'Use them to move forward!'" If Ed was human, he would have grabbed her into a hug. Instead he moved closer putting his head on her shoulder while waging his tail. She hugged him. Could she understand?

As they started to walk down the street, Ed began to become accustomed to being surrounded by old company. He pranced along which put some of Roy's concern at ease. The Colonel cleared his throat for a second before saying with appreciation, "Thanks for making this trip out here, Ms. Rockbell."

"No, no, just call me Winry. It was no problem at all. I needed to get away for a little while. What did you need me for? Who needs my help?" The cerulean eyes bore concern as she asked. _I see what you did there Bastard. _Roy ran his hands through his hair, "There is a veteran who works at a deli. He lost his leg in an old conflict to the West. He hasn't been seen by an automail mechanic in ages due to lack of funds. I will pay for any parts or expenses, labor cost-" Winry shook her head, "Are you crazy? You really think I would charge for labor? Depending on the parts, I might have to take you up on your offer. Other than that, it's all covered."

A thought, then a click in his brain, "Hey Al, would you mind helping me out since you're here?" Al was shocked. How could he be of any help? "Sure Coronel! What is it?"

"I hate to bring it up. The Nina case has me bothered." Ed and Roy locked eyes for a split second. Ed knew what he was getting at. Al put his hand to his chin as Mustang continued, "You and your brother are known for finding needles in hay stacks. Do you think you could find me additional materials on the biological aspect?" Even though he was picturing Ed's file photograph in his head, "The transmutation cycle found resembles a human transmutation cycle." This made Winry visibly cringe, almost pissed off that he was even bringing this up. Roy stopped walking and looked up to Al, "I know this is asking a lot, but I need to ask if you have some materials." Al starred down at him. An interrogation followed, "Sir, what are you planning to do with this information." Roy looked down the street before he spoke again, "I thought about Ed's reaction that night." Choosing his words carefully, "At the time, we couldn't save her. What bothered me? I couldn't even fathom where to begin if we could at least try." Al nodded approving the answer. These brothers were much older than their actual age. Al's gears in his brain seemed to turn, "I will head to the library now, Winry can you go to the dorm and grab that case you gave Ed on his birthday? The one with an alchemic lock?" She had agreed and took Al's key.

And with that Al was already on his way off. Heh, this was the perfect opportunity and Mustang was not going to let it slip by. He knelt down ruffling up Goldeneye's hair, whispering almost inaudibly but just enough for Ed to hear, _"Getting you back for what you pulled last night."_ Ed turned his head back, _What?_ His companion chuckled almost evilly, "Hey buddy! I have to leave you with someone. I have a phone in the office to catch." Winry smiled, "I can take him! In fact I would love his company." _You . !_ A grin was plastered on Roy's face as he thought, 'Now you get time with _your_ lady friend.' _Hey don't I get a say in this?! _Quickly, Roy past the leash over to Winry, nothing Ed could do. _DAMN THIS COLLAR! _ Realizing that Winry now had him on a leash, _SO WRONG!_

Ed glanced over his shoulder back to Roy who sarcastically waved back to him from down the block. Roy stopped, noticing Ed's head hanging a bit. Some part of Ed did not like this separation from Roy. He had grown use to his presence; always there… now the world felt a bit unsafe. Would he, Ed, be going back home with him tonight? What was going to happen to him?

Once they reached the dorms, they started ascending the stairs, to which Winry found that she needed to slow her pace for Goldeneye, "One more flight and we are there." _Damn this hurts... So Winry, how is Granny, the old rag peanut shaped bat? The weather in Resembool must be crisp this time of year._ He stopped for a moment to gaze up at the woman waiting at the top of the stairs for him._ Why do I miss you so much right now and you are standing right there?_ He limped his way up to meet her.

They had made it to his dorm door. Ed heard the latch snapping back as Winry unlocked it. Winry's hand shook and hesitated by the door handle, Ed did not miss a beat. She took a deep sigh to calm herself. Carefully, she pushed the door open as though she was intruding. With a small wine, the door revealed a dark chilly room. Once Goldeneye was in, she softly closed the door and flicked the lights on. The place was covered in research materials, books and papers- just how he had left it, the old empty mug still sitting on the coffee table, next to a plate with crumbs. The couch faced the full size bed on the left side of the room, the desk pushed against the back wall.

The lemon blonde mechanic walked over to his desk, Ed followed observing her every move. Her head was lowered and when stopped at her side, he looked up, tear drops hit the seat that was firmly held in her grasp. He had done it again, he made her cry. But what the hell did he do this time?

Her right hand lifted up the framed photograph of the three of them. She felt something ruff on the back of her finger, turning it over there were words that read _Happy Days_.It made her giggle a bit, talking to Goldeneye, "He…He always has a thing for etching in words. I guess it was his way of making something permanent, so he would never forget through the tough times." Her hand placed the photo back where it was, her hand shifted some papers, his handwritten notes, his sketches of alchemic geometry she could never comprehend. Equally, he could never understand how she knew what was what in the tangled mess that made up his ligaments. "I do try to think the best but, I can't help but think the worst." Tears welt up in her eyes again. She lifted the four month behind calendar. In a date, his handwriting read: **Do Automail Maintenance. Winry **_**WILL**_** kill you.**She flipped the sheet over, there was another: **Shiny automail or shiny wrench meets your face!** This started to make her laugh as she continued to flip through: **Winry worked hard on that automail, make her proud jackass. **She put a hand over her mouth as she laughed. She had guessed he did regular maintenance; he was so hard on his limbs that she never expected he put this much thought into it.

Her head turned left toward the bed, she put the calendar down and glided her hand over it. She fell down into it making the blanket puff up around her, his scent lifted up into the air. Ed soundlessly walked over to the other side of the bed and rested his head on the blush surface, still watching her. She wiped her gorgeous deep blue eyes, "I don't care," as if speaking out on an internal battle, "I miss him. No matter how I look at it, I could have never let him know. How I waited, how much I - I never even knew I fell for him this much..." Thankfully she did not notice the dog's eyes widen at this. "I couldn't add more complexity to his already chaotic life…" She trailed off in thought, grabbing a handful of covers as though she were grabbing a hold of the clothes on his chest.

And yet here he was, _I had no idea_. Sure, he had battled himself time to time. _But I thought it was stupid of me for even thinking it. I never took a chance to say anything._ She shifted her hands and the cerulean eyes met his. "Goldeneye, your name's fitting… there hauntingly like his." Ed moved his head on the bed to look away with a 'humph', _Fine! I won't look at you then._ His left ear twitched to the sound of a pat on the bed, "Come up here you." He took a second. Normally he would freak out, but obeyed remembering he was a dog after all. He laid down leaving some distance putting his head on his crossed front paws, he kept his eyes averted. "Uh, hey you." She poked him. His head looked back at her forgetting his physique, he lost balance and fell back, into her hands. He looked up at her as she pet his head. This made his heart pound, what would make her happy… dog speak… unconsciously his tail was already waging, he nudged her under her chin with his wet nose. "Ack your nose is cold!" He kept going, his tail thumped on the bed. She started to giggle ruffling up his fur some more, she let out a sigh and felt better getting all of it off her chest.

_Hey, here I am. I was always here and you were always there. Yet we never said anything… how foolish are we?_

* * *

That night, Mustang snapped his fingers to light the fire. He sat down comfortably in his pajamas with his brandy in hand. Ed hopped on the couch next to him, he sniffed at the drink, shook his head and sneezed. Mustang chuckled, patting Ed on the head. "How was your day?" The dog plopped down sighing. It only took a second later for Ed to rest his head on Roy's lap, Mustang could read the 'Thank you' though his eyes.

So this was what Maes could read… Ah, he was a father after all. "Hey come with me." Roy got up and grabbed his cloak by the door. Ed followed Roy to the back of the complex were there was the grassy yard. Ed eagerly explored it, "Ready?" Lifting his head and looking to Roy, _Ready for what?_ In the moon light Ed could make out a red ball in Roy's hand. "Catch it." Ed's brow lifted, _Are you serious? _Both his eyes narrowed. _No._ "Come on at least give it a shot, you don't get to run around like a maniac anymore, you are stuck in an office." Ed gave it a second thought and moved into position. _Just this once. I consider this training. _Mustang threw it Ed darted, forcing his limbs to move the way he wanted to them to. He was able to catch it in the air. "Nice work." Ed tried to throw it back by shaking his head and letting the ball go, instead it went up in the air and hit him on the head. _This ball is going down…_ Roy walked over to get it, Ed snatched it, _MINE. It shall be destroyed! _"Goldeneye-" Ed started to run with it. He spun around, pouncing on the ground taunting Roy to try and chase him down, _Come and get it fat ass!_

Mustang's downstairs neighbor, the elderly woman, smiled brightly as she opened the window to watch them. Roy noticed her presence, scratching the back of his head, "Sorry Ma'am. Are we disturbing you?" She shook her head, with a fragile old voice, "Oh no dear, you are making an old woman smile." She watched as Roy got tackled and the dog place the red ball on his chest.

Goldeneye ran to the other side of the yard, pouncing back and forth ready for the next throw. This old lady chuckled, being brought to a time when her husband and their son played catch in the yard. She thought, 'How adorable these two are.'

When they were ready to turn in, Ed passed out on Roy's bed waiting for his buddy to return from the bathroom, failing to stay awake to say goodnight. Roy stood there for a moment, watching Ed in tranquility. Roy snuck in next to him and began to realize how they both were oddly benefiting from this bizarre situation. Eventually he joined Ed, dreaming peacefully though the night.

* * *

As the week went by, both of them were growing more accustomed to this new way of life. Riza noticed how much happier Roy had been now that Goldeneye was there to greet him, to annoy him, to sit and listen. Riza also helped to 'train' Goldeneye with commands for Roy to use. There was a change in Roy, he had been more open and trusting with the world at large. Al was working hard and Winry had stopped by for lunch, asking about other veterans that she could help in the area.

What became interesting to Ed, he saw a different side to Al and how he handled stressful situations. His brother was absorbed in the research, something he would do when he was upset, and yet have the courage to talk to Hawkeye about his concerns, something Ed always had a hard time doing. Al also spoke to Goldeneye as though he were human, sharing memories of the old days, his worries and fears for his older sibling… Roy had the courage (with Ed's insistence) to ask Riza out again. And all went well…no interruptions that night.

That Friday, Lt. Hawkeye burst into the office, "Sir-" before she could finish the men walked past her into the room. One handed Hawkeye a brown envelope, followed by Havoc, Breda, Falman, Fuery, and Mustang, an extra envelope was dropped on his desk as well. Goldeneye got off the couch and slowly walked over to Mustangs side to see what this was about. He took notice of all the blood that had drained from the commander's face. Everyone ripped into their orders, dreading that they might be going to a skirmish or war front.

Havoc announced, as though he was opening a mystery candy box, "I got Central!"

Fuery lifted his arm up, "Me too!" Hawkeye nodded, "Same here, Sir." She looked up smiling with relief after the moments of stress. However, when she saw Roy, the smile disappeared. Her eyes found a Colonel that seemed trapped in a corner with nowhere to go. Confused, wasn't this, what he wanted?

They were to leave on Sunday afternoon. For a moment, Mustang considered giving Ed up to Al and Winry, but then he would be exposing them to the truth, which might also expose them to more danger, something Ed would surely disagree too, it may even drive him to run away, which was worse. This battle lasted to the day of departure, for he could not simply phone a friend in Central for the answer. Something was internal and this could not fall on prying ears.

Ed danced around his brother's legs as a see ya later, and he tackled Winry earning him a fake scolding from Roy. The boarding whistle sounded. Hawkeye ordered, "Goldeneye, Hayate, front and center!" Ed kissed Winry's cheek and ran over, planting his ass down in front of the Lt. with Hayate at his side, watching obediently for their next order, just as he was 'trained' to do. Mustang gave Ed a sympathy look from behind Hawkeye, for being treated as a dog. _Isn't the Bastard sweet? He cares!_ Ed played along, just for times like these. "Sir," a conductor gained Mustang's attention, "dogs go-" and interrupted by an annoyed Mustang, "Military Cainine. They will be traveling with us. They serve and will be treated as such." The conducter started to speak again but Mustang caught him, "Not a word. It is final." Mustang ordered, "Follow!" Ed and Hayate stood up and followed the Colonel, past the conductor and onto the train. Ed gave one last glance to his brother and friend, who was laughing while wiping away a slobbered kiss on her cheek.

Mustang slid the door open to their cabin with two booths facing each other, allowing Riza and their companions to enter before him. As the train pulled out, Ed and Hayate made themselves comfortable on the floor by their feet. Both Mustang and Riza laid their coats down next to them as they became comfortable for their long journey. Ed could hear Havoc jesting in the other room with the guys. After some moments past, Riza softly asked, "Colonel, you seem awfully stressed for something you have wanted." Mustang rested his elbow at the windows edge, putting his chin in his hand, as he surveyed the land. It was the beginning of winter and it had already snowed, a beautiful white scene drifted by as the train continued forward.

The eyes of the Hawk have been on him, reading him like a book. It wouldn't be much longer until she found out, but here was not the right time. Come to think of it, since when was she able to read that book so well? His sigh made the glass fog, "Nothing to worry about, Lieutenant." With that she did not press forward, she understood she could not know what was going on behind the scenes.

She was almost certain it was about Ed, which created more questions for her than answers. Nothing made logical sense. Could a there have been evidence that Ed could be near or around East City? Another perplexing note, the usually restless Roy, especially when it came to a subordinate in danger, had shown no more signs of anxiety or stress when the Elric situation was brought up. His mind had been at ease for a while, until this very moment.

It had been two hours into the trip, when Fuery knocked. "Sir, Lieutenant, would you like anything from the food car? I am heading over now." Mustang stood, "I'll join you. Lieutenant, would you like a coffee?" She stood, "Sir I can get it myself." He motioned for her to take her seat. "Stay stay. Keep an eye on Hayate and the runt." Goldeneye's head snapped up glaring at the Colonel who was smirking. _No more threats. I will take action tonight! A present for you, on your pillow._ _Better yet.. on the floor near the bathroom in the middle of night, your bare feet will feel my shitty wrath!_ The door slide and clicked shut. As Ed mulled over his plans, and wondered what their new place would look like, Riza felt something poke the side of her leg. She shifted the jacket lying next to her, put her hand into the pocket and pulled out Goldeneye's old collar. 'Huh, I forgot all about this.' In her boredom, she found herself examining it. 'Number 35742', she rubbed her finger over the brace. The black leather was worn with obvious stress marking an imprint with what hole was used, when it was around Goldeneye. It occurred to her, 'Since when did they rename the canines with numbers after service?' Maybe it was the center's case number for him. He was a very smart dog, all the name changes… he picked up his new name instantly… She looked down at him, 'That is a bit odd, even for the brightest dog.' When she turned the collar, she noticed something on her finger tips, was that dried blood?

Suddenly, Ed was on all fours, teeth barred growling low facing the door. Instinctively Hawkeye grabbed her weapon in her holster, listening intently. She only heard Havoc and Breda bickering next door. Ed however could hear something more, another muffled shot and a faint cry of pain. Hayate now joined him. Riza dropped the collar and pounded her fist twice against the wall. The other room fell silent as she slowly slid her door open. With her foor, she kept Hayate back, closing the door on him, pulling out her weapon, loading it, and shifted the safety off. Hayate was good, be he was not military. Havoc opened his door, seeing for the first time, a ferocious Goldeneye. He too upholstered his weapon following closely behind Hawkeye. He motioned for Breda to take up the back and Falman to alert the Colonel. Ed jogged down the hallway, to the end. He pawed the door once, Hawkeye slide it open as they passed into the fright car. The scent of blood and gunpowder hit his nose, he stopped and crouched low, Riza took the left and Havoc to the right, shielding themselves behind tall wooden crates. The only sound heard was the _tink tink, tink tink_ of the train wheels. Ed moved forward. Blood was dripping down a wall, a smear to a dead soldier slouched underneath. A few metal clicks, Ed moved in a bit further around another crate to see a man in uniform hunched over, placing a weapon down next to him, a saw in his hand about to cut a hole into the freight floor. _That was the weapon fired._ He could smell the round. Ed leapt, his teeth sinking deep into the man's arm, warm liquid and the taste of iron spilled into his mouth as the soldier fell on his side, yelling out in agony. Hawkeye had her weapon up, "Draw back." Ed leapt back to join Hawkeye, he heard a creak come from deep within the freight car, he tackled Hawkeye back, a bullet whizzed by her face, clipping a piece of her bangs off. Havoc was firing back. The man on the floor had started to get up.

A nonchalant voice rang out from far end of the freight, as though this were an everyday event, "What is going?" Riza had a clear shot of the man who missed her prior, by mere centimeters, her two shots did not fail to contact their target.

Ed sniffed the air, all this gunpowder in the air, faint traces of some else. Something was off. Was there ammonia? He was distracted continuing to sniff the ground for his answer, missing the fact the soldier he had attacked flung a knife at Breda, hitting him in shoulder. He fell back into the hallway between the connection of the freight car and passenger car. Fuery was now there trying to drag Breda back with the help of the Colonel.

Ed jumped up, once again getting his teeth into the man's arm. Hawkeye heard Goldeneye slam into a crate making some wood crack under the force. His already bad leg took the brunt of it. Even through the pain, he did not let go. An arm flew around the assailant's neck; Havoc pulled him back from behind. Ed let go falling onto his hind legs, the left one caused him to yelp painfully as it gave out. Havoc demanded to know what the hell was going on from the guy within his grasp, but received no voluntary answer.

Another whiff of that ammonia... ignoring pain, Ed followed it sniffing. He stopped a few feet in, he saw a crazed man, sitting and tinkering with something. Muttering casually, "Why won't it turn off? Hm, this is interesting…" _tick tick tick tick. _

Ammonium Nitrate… a major component of TNT. Ed jumped around. What did a trained dog do to signal? _WE NEVER WENT OVER THIS!_

Hawkeye came closer. Ed growled at first, starting to snap and bark while dashing toward her. She stepped back, the weapon on him with his odd behavior. Ed looked past Hawkeye to see Havoc still struggling with his catch, his eyes on the Goldeneye's while backing to the door Mustang was emerging from. Ed sat, barking and snarling. Havoc's eyes widened as he understood, "BOMB!" He dropped the assailant.

It all seemed to happen in an instant. Havoc tackled Roy using the full force shoulder to connect into Roy's chest, driving him back. Hawkeye had spun around, Ed got back on his feet, to start on a run. She only took one stride when a powerful pressure surge pushed behind her. Roy watched as Hawkeye and Ed were lifted into the air. The sound was so loud no ears, human or animal, could register the blast. Wood splintered, the freight burst apart around them. Another blast came from the side, where the assailant had been trying to dig a hole in the freight car. With that Hawkeye and Ed were pushed out, as though sucked out. Roy and Havoc never hit the ground. They too had been lifted, thrown back with force. The closed cabin doors caused a pressure tunnel pushing them straight back, flames blocked the view at first than and chased them down to the other side of the passenger car, the back of Mustangs head slammed into the door. The flames disappeared along with the freight train, it all went dark.

When he woke, he still felt the train moving. Havoc was still collapsed over him. The cold winter air danced around him. His head was slitting, ears were ringing. Distant muffled, urgent voices were over him. He was now being gagged back by his arms. His eyes focused for a moment, looking forward toward the tracks and snowy tress passing and shrinking into the distance.

He started to get annoyed, where they stupid? His speech was slurred from the concussion, "Sshop da 'rain." Frustrated, he tried to fight to free himself from their grasp. They needed to get to them… He was being forcefully lifted, and laid onto a booth. He could make out Fuery at his feet. Why was no one was listening to his order? "Sssshop da damn train!" Falman pushed him down with his hand, "Sir! An order from Central, this train, under no circumstances will come to a halt until we reach the next station." Mustang starred back trying to understand the words, "Who-"

"Orders came from high up." Mustang's eyes widened. What the fuck was going on? "FUCK THE ORDERS!" His head was pounding his ears were ringing, and he suddenly needed to vomit. He coughed at first, Falman quickly pulled Mustang on to his side throwing up all over his pants.

He could hear Hayate's consistent barking.

The Flame Alchemist muttered, "Hawkeye…" He grabbed onto Falman's forearm and shoulder trying to get up, "Ed…" The was pain in Falman's eyes as watched the struggling Colonel, trying to pry off his fingers, "Sir, you need to lay back down." Blood from the back of Mustang's head was soaking into the booth cushion. Mustang's body started to shiver as he vomited again. He reached out again, no NO **NO!** This was- this can't-. His sight became fuzzy again, his body was failing him and slumped into Falman's arms, who firmly held the unconscious man, keeping him from falling to the floor.

* * *

_In the next installment of Goldeneye_: Will Mustang and crew be able get out there and find Lt. Hawkeye and Goldeneye before they're gone?  
Envy tsks as he shakes his head, "Foolish humans. Why do you try so hard?"

Chapter 5: Toys

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Last note(s): The content now left for chapter 5, was supposed to be in this chapter, fail. Oh well, this happened and it became much longer than I expected. I hope you enjoyed it. HA! Left you hanging a bit there, though not like other cliffhangers I have made.

Seriously, tried to kill Hughes... (again). Not like it we have not had enough of his death, THREE TIMES (Manga, 2003, 2009) I just could not bring myself to do it... again. I would write it and delete it, write it and delete it. Fuck it! He is staying alive for now. Maybe later we can poke him with a stick.

**LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK IN THE BOX BELOW!  
Thanks!**


	5. The Prize

Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist. This is not being created for any form of profit.

Acknowledgments: I will be going back and editing errors with grammar and spelling Guest pointed out. As of now, I only wanted to finish this chapter. Thank you all for the reviews and continued support. Please continue to let me how I am doing! Motivation is awesome.

Warning: This chapter contains gore. Future chapters will be progressively getting worse with violence and such. I will continue to label them appropriately.

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**Chapter 5: The Prize**

A dull throbbing pain let him know he was live. It was warm here, where ever here was. There was a pop and crackling sound. Oh so he was by the fire in the apartment, at Roy's feet while he did his work… A loud crash. Goldeneye jolted. His vision was blurry. There was a dull orange light everywhere. He could identify the white fluff around his face as snow, his nose tickled from it so he snorted to get the flakes off. Something was on top of him. He shook his head, his ears flapped.

His eyes came into focus. Debris had blown everywhere, twisted steel, an axil with one train wheel up in the air, fire surrounding it. A war zone. _Where?_ Disorientated but still understood he had to do something about the set of planks on top of him, which he just realized was also fire. With his front paws, he dragged his canine body out. It took an extreme amount of effort to stand.

Besides the fire, he could hear he swirling of wind, as the grey sky dusted him with flurries. His ears twitched… as it all started to come back to him, _The train… explosion…where's the train? It left us behin-… Us. US! _He instantaneously started to sniff the air. Who of them had been blown off? Where were they?

As he started to walk around, the snow at points was coming up to his elbow joint, making it worse for him to navigate through the debris. Shredded wood, torched earth, and mangled steel and though it all he caught Hawkeye's scent. He stumbled, fumbled, following it to an oddly sprawled out body dusted with snow. When he got to her, her back was up to him and her head was turned to the side. Her face was pale, her lips were still pink. Blood dripped down from her hairline down her temple to her chin. The snow acted like a sponge absorbing the blood around her leg, which was impaled by a piece of wood, and her left arm evidently had a compound fracture, part of a bone came though the blue cloth of her military jacket.

This bad, really bad, it made him extremely nervous, but at least her lips were not blue. He nudged at her face with his nose, '_Hey come on' _Afriad to hurt her, a paw hesitantly rose and tapped her shoulder, and he tapped harder, to no avail. So with his head he turned her around. Now it was clear, she had been exposed to the elements for a while now, she was extremely cold. He could tell from how her check felt on his nose. With his teeth, he grabbed the back collar of the military jacket, moving backwards, he started to drag her to the warmth of a safely burning crate.

He continued his search around the debris, and found the urge to shake his entire body of snow and whatever else was in his fur, bad idea. The joints screamed in pain causing him to whimper. His body must have been flung around like a hacky sack.

Something fell causing him to jump and scamper backwards. He realized he was bleeding too, for he left fine blood droplets in the snow where he shook. He caught another scent and followed it to a torso and upper body of the soldier whom met his fate on the train. Ed gnawed off the jacket buttons, this guy was dead and did not need it anymore. Admittedly, as a dog, he had a hard time getting it off, somehow he managed. There was a third sent he did not recognize, and nothing else. _No one else? Good._ Everyone else was safe.

Ed trotted back to Hawkeye with the jacket in his mouth, dropping it on top of her once he returned. He chewed off the yellow ribbon. With patience and precision, he was able to successfully tight it tightly around her left arm to slow the blood flow. He laid there next to her to keep her warm, wondering how long the rescue team would take to get to them… but all that would depend on how far out the next station was.

After a bit of time, there was no more time to wait, she needed help and she needed it now or else … he didn't want to think about that or else part. Looking around, there had to be something he could use to pull her. Finally he found a board with a long twine handle which lopped from one corner to the other corner, of what would have been the top of a sturdy crate. The twine would have been used to easily lift the cargo of the freight with the right machine.

He pulled the board back, dragging Hawkeye onto it. Taking the twine between his teeth he pushed forward. Pain shot down his spine, _My body hates me._

The sky was getting darker, it was late evening now and Ed continued to trudged along. A growing concern about his right shoulder poked in his brain but he ignored it until it finally snapped out of its socket. He fell forward letting out the high-pitched whine of pain. He hated that dogs did that, it made his own stomach churn. Okay, it didn't matter, he stood back up, _Three good legs, moving forward._

The high-pitched whine brought Riza out of the darkness. She peered down at her own black boots. Pain shot though her arm and leg simultaneously as her mind was gaining more consciousness. Something was jetting out of her leg, a yellow uniformed rope tied around her left arm, and somehow the ground was moving beneath her. She stretched her neck to look up behind her. Who was helping her?

The dog collapsed, painting hard, in the snow. Where was the person who was helping them? Her body started to involuntarily shiver from the cold and she could barely feel her fingertips. The dog's hair was matted with blood in places. She looked around some more. There was no way this dog… this dog could not have done all of this… an ordinary dog. How would it know to do? Then pieces to the puzzle started to connect for her, Roy always chose his words wisely:

The day they walked to work when Mustang apologized, "Sorry, he's- he's _semi-dog_ friendly. _I swear I think he thinks_ _he's human_." Riza grinned, "Most dogs do. Is he a retired Military canine?" Mustang had said, "Eh, _he is stuck with me_, _so I can't say he is retired_." Then at the dinner…"Hughes personally straightened it all out." Roy was watching her in that moment, "What gave it away?" Defensiveness of the dog boarding the train was that of a subordinate… never using the word dog, instead using canine, and the five numbers…Elric had five letters…

"Ed?" It was barely a whisper she could get out, the dog's ear's perked up and his head slowly turned around. Those golden eyes asked _How do you know? _Tears formed in hers, "This can't be…" She turned on her side trying to prop herself up on her elbow. Her father's voice came to mind, "Some alchemists specialize in combining animals to see if they can make new and better species, some try taboo to combine humans with animals..." A pit formed in her stomach, "A chimera?"

Ed noticed her shivering and limped/hopped over to her still panting, his breath made puffs in the air. The dog distinctly nodded before he fell down next to her, curling up. His warmth drew her to wrap her bad arm around him. Riza went to pet his head but stopped, "Sorry habit." He nudged her hand, _I'm use to it now._ She ruffled the top his head, "Thanks, Ed."

She was too tired to think about all of this and started to fall asleep. A loud bark almost shattered her ear drum. Her eyelids barely opened and her eyes lazily turned to look at him. That's right she couldn't sleep.

Edward Elric was not about to give up on her now, fatigued, dripping with blood and in pain, he got up and took the rope in his mouth pushing forward with three legs. Moments later his left hip popped, he cried out in pain again, Riza turn on her back again yelling at him, "ED STOP!"

Ed's head snapped in the direction of the wood line, at first it was a tiny light headed toward them, and then it became clear that it was girl with a tiny light in hand. She had breads and was dressed oddly. A voice called out behind her, "Don't!" She cried back, "They need help!" She slid to a stop right before Riza and fell to her knees assessing the damage. A small panda hoped down looking at Ed, inside his ears and around his body.

Ed tried to stand; the hair on his back went up started to bare his teeth. Hawkeye reached for her weapons but they weren't there, she had lost it in the blast. Now she noticed it was Scar approaching them. The little girl was working on something in the snow and demanded, "Help me get her into the circle!"

Scar ignored the disabled angry animal and lifted the Lieutenant up who could not even fight if she tried. He did as he was told. Ed half-dragging himself, vainly trying to defend, stopped when a blue light rose from the ground and illumined the area. He was horrified.

The little girl put a hand on Hawkeye's shoulder, "Miss, this is going to hurt but we need to take it out." Hawkeye nodded weakly, as the girl leaned forward holding her down as Scar pulled out the wood in her leg. Hawkeye cried out and convulsed with pain but the blue light was back in action, her body relaxed and the illumination died away. "That should do it! Hi, my name is May Chang, I am from Xing, this is-" Hawkeye interrupted her a bit disdainfully, "I know who he is."

The little panda squeaked on Ed's back, reminding May about the other problem. "Oh right!" She quickly drew another cycle, "I've never tried it on a dog before." She held out her hand to the reluctant fury friend. Her eyes went wide, "Your energy, its different…" Scar was just about to pick Riza up when he stopped mid-action. He looked down at the dog. May continued her thought, "It's like your human but you're not."

Scar lifted his sleeve, eyes focused on his prey, "Chimera..." Ed tried to move away, but was as hopeless as he had been with his last encounter with the Ishvalian. The red-eyed man recognized the dog's eyes after putting two and two together. They belonged to the brazen boy from East City, the boy the female laying there tried to protect.

Riza weakly grabbed his leg, "No." May scowled at Scar for her, "Leave him alone!"

Turning her attention back to Ed, "It won't hurt, come on, you'll feel better." Grunting, by which he disagreed with this, Scar gently picked Goldeneye up by his sides. The dog was adamantly terrified, enough so to vocalize it. Riza's face broe concern, she had never seen Ed terrified of anything…

_Roy shook his head, "He's tough, but everyone has a limit. Hughes found a new 'establishment' in Central, part of the one Ed was investigating without my knowledge. It gave us some clues. I was unable to brose the new shop."_

He had been experimented on and tortured. May tried to make soothing sounds, which had no effect. He was placed in the center of the cycle. The horrifying memories of his body being ripped apart, his organs twisting, and the blood curling scream that came from his mouth… the array was activated and he flinched, but there was warmth and comfort that spread through his body. When it was over May inspected him for anything that it might have missed. His body was not 100% but he could stand and walk for now.

Thus this new group continued their journey…

* * *

Mustang awoke on his side, seeing a row of cots similar his. Havoc was on one and Breda. The Colonel pushed himself up, the world spun around him; his vertigo was in the shitter. He put a hand to his head feeling a bandage. "You got a real bad concussion there, Sir."

"I don't give a shit. What's going on with the search party?" He had snapped at Falman, Mustang hoped his apologetic eyes were enough for the Warrant Officer to accept. A small smile was returned, understanding this was the Flame Alchemist in times like these. "Sir, we are heading out now." Mustang stood up, Falman grabbed him as he wobbled, "I am going with you." He realized he was in a waiting room of the very small station in the middle of somewhere, most likely on the outskirts of Central. As they left the room and out onto the platform, the night air hit him and he was instantly pissed, "Why the fuck have we waited till now?"

"For equipment sir." A private responded. There was a caravan of trucks waiting with a medical unit, he hopped in the back of one. They headed out. Something hit his leg as he fixed his coat around him. Putting his hand into his pocket, he retrieved Goldeneye's leash. His grip tightened on it, curing the world to holly hell and back. Falman informed him that the assailant that was on the train confessed. It was an assassination attempted aimed at him, for reasons unknown. What kind of news was this? What the hell was after him?! This tore at Mustang more, it should have been him stranded out there not them… He rubbed his forehead, he should have just told her about Ed, maybe something would have been different… maybe… He slammed his fist into the metal door.

* * *

They walked along (Ed limped along) in silence. An Amestrian soldier in the arms of an Ishvalian, with an illegal Xingenese citizen and pet pipsqueak panda, followed by a chimera- no this was not odd at all. Riza drew a breath, "What kind of alchemy did you use May? I've never seen it before."

"It's Alkahestry, the art is to use energy from the Earth, can also be used to heal, but you still need to see a doctor. You lost a lot of blood." May glanced at the struggling dog behind them. Riza blurted out to Scar, "So are you completely psychotic or in the midst of a moral crisis?" Ed wanted to reply, _Psychotic._ May answered, "He's a lost puppy." This earned her a glare from her traveling companion, which she easily shrugged off. Hawkeye then asked, "Are you still after to kill Roy Mustang?" A moment of silence let the sounds of running water be heard, a river was nearby. He responded, "No."

He stopped walking and looked down at Ed who still took steps before he had noticed the group had stopped. "You're in a lot of pain. They put horses down faster, which is considered more humane. Yet they kept you alive. What is it that _you_ want?" Riza grabbed Scar's collar, "DON'T-!" The red eyes met the blue, "Why? Who decided this? Because he is human you force him to live in pain, in more ways than one." He looked down to Ed. "Can you understand me?" Ed nodded. "Do you remember me?" Ed nodded. "So I wasn't wrong. He is the kid Alchemist." Ed growled a bit resenting the kid part in that statement. "A human stuck in a dog's body. You can't do anything. You're trapped, in your pain and suffering."

A very annoyed Hawkeye responded, "Are you saying that because he is an animal he is less than human? That we should have euthanized him for being a dog? Then that takes his brother out of the human category. Al is real, he is a person and he is human. A body does not define who you are. It is what you do with the gift of life. Al was given a second chance in his armor, which you almost tore to shreds."

"Humans and animals have a right to life and death. This is still a choice to be made." He looked at Ed, "Considering you are still like this, no alchemist can turn you back. Like the chimera back in East City." Ed's head lowered. He started to limp past them anyway, _I'm not done yet. Not giving up. So go fuck yourself. I have a brother's body to get back, with or without a body of my own. _With that the rest started to follow.

Clap. Clap. Clap. "Brilliant performance! What a sight to behold!" A man in a white suit, purple tie and adoring white hat walked onto the tracks. His long pony tail flapped in the wind. A military caravan made of two trucks and two jeeps pulled out from the wood line across the tracks. Scar eased Hawkeye onto the ground, keeping his eyes on the Crimson Alchemist. Both he and May stepped forward. Ed stayed with Hawkeye, and heard a rustling from the brush behind them. Roy Mustang ran through the clearing toward them, Hawkeye sighed with relief, "Colonel." Her commander stopped, peered down at the two before him, and pulled his gloves on, tight.

Crimson and Flame locked eyes. Mustangs arm shot up, Crimson jumped back, and Scar realized his reaction was to slow. He hoped to narrowly miss the blow.

Snap.

Nothing happened. "HAHAHAHA. Just Kidding." Mustang's hip cocked to the side and his hand rested on his hip. "My gloves aren't wet, but the Hawk might be 'cause her knight and shining armor showed." Gesturing to her with a thumb, "Your face was priceless. HA!" Ed growled. "What? That idea with the clicking, is pretty cool." He snapped his fingers, "Snappity snap. Snap."

"Envy…" Crimson started. Envy snapped back, "Shudduppp!" He switched back into his human like for, "It was fun to be that guy, kinda cool and awesome." He grabbed Ed by the collar and pinned him down with his knee, with no effort at all, "I got what I came for."

Scar took the distraction to his advantage and started to spar with the Crimson Alchemist, the man who killed his brother and family. May gave her best support.

Hawkeye tried to move to protect Ed but failed collapsing into the snow, dizzy and faint-like. She helplessly watched this Ed struggled, while Envy inject him with something. "Not my choice, pal, but your chart has a history of you being bat shit insane, so it's a precaution for the idiots." Ed slowly stopped fidgeting. Hawkeye started to push herself up, a needle came to her view. "You want the same?" Envy asked, she glared, he responded, "Didn't think so." He pushed her back to the ground as he hauled Ed up, "Oh my jeese, you got fat." Envy snorted, "Ha just kidding, I'm on a roll tonight."

A raspy voice shouted from the caravan, "Get that soldier girl." Envy shouted over the fight as though it were a child's fight at a playground, "_EXCUSE ME?!_ Get her the fuck yourself." Well maybe not with children… The raspy voice shot back, "Then you don't get what you want." Envy let out a noise of disbelief, "Need I remind you, that you are the one who FUCKED UP IN THE FIRST PLACE?!" Hawkeye felt careful arms lifting her up, pulling an arm around a shoulder, a raven haired woman in a black dress, an Ouroboros tattoo on her chest, "We need to simply humor him, Envy." Lusts eyes traveled up and down Hawkeye, purring in her ear, "I see why that Flame Alchemist likes you. Lucky girl."

May started to run to their aid, when she was stopped by a blast before her, when the snow dust settled, Riza called out to her, "No! We need you to get out of here." Before May protested, "GO!" Ed was lifted into a cage on the back of a truck, covered by a tarp. Envy slipped another collar around his neck with his number 35742.

Hawkeye was lead up into a jeep with Lust still at her side. There was a huge explosion that rocked the trucks, throwing the Crimson Alchemist back, when the haze settled, the two were gone, and a raspy voice cried out, "MOVE OUT!"

Ed felt the vibration of the truck as they moved along, the trap flapped in the wind. It was a cruel trick Envy played. He didn't care about the scent; he wanted it to be true. He wanted to be going home with Roy tonight, now he was staring out of metal bars… damn homunculi.

Mustang was still drifting in and out of consciousness in the back seat of the truck, his eyes still out the window waiting for the call that they reached their destination. He saw some trucks going past in the opposite direction. He sat up straighter, for a split second his eyes met golden eyes.

Ed's head followed the car with Roy in it, and tried to bark, it came out weak and feeble. He went to the edge of the cage and tried to rock it, it never even shifted. So god damn close… Maybe… he would notice, maybe he would be there… okay he would wait. He sat and waited, fighting the sleepiness. In the end, Ed collapsed, waiting patiently for his companion to come save him.

Roy ordered them to stop, "What was with the other caravan?" Could he have just been seeing things? The group didn't know, "Turn around and follow them!"

A sergeant came up to him, "Sir, with all due respect we need to get to the site." Falman agreed contributing the outburst to his busted head. Once they arrived, Mustang found the saturated blood snow, twice, she was dragged to the now smolding embers which would have been a fire. He saw blood droplets lead him to the bisected soldier missing his military jacket. He followed drag marks underneath the truck and behind them. Ed was okay, Hawkeyes wasn't that would account for the movement. Ed started to drag her out of there. He had started to wait with her but… something was wrong.

Mustang hoped in the front passenger side of a truck knowing he couldn't drive in his condition, "Falman!" In a second he faithfully hopped in the driver's seat, "Turn around and drive slow." He ordered them to stop at the wooden crate piece with twine. Mustang knelt down taking his glove off. The blood was still wet, not frozen. They were here moments ago and Riza was mortality injured.

There were transmutation circles and the rest… Mustang's voice rang out into the wilderness, "The evidence is fucking destroyed because WE RAN OVER IT!" His head was getting worse and he wobbled and fell to his side. "They were right here, RIGHT HERE!" Falman helped him up. Mustang muttered, "That caravan… them." A military caravan… Without thinking he muttered allowed, "The only two left behind, over the wire… someone heard… They came out here after Ed and stalled the rescue." In frustration, he lifted up his arm.

Snap.

Flames with unfathomable velocity flew down parallel the tracks and disappeared. "They were right here…" He kicked the board. His head snatched up again, realizing he saw something, bent blown up tracks, away from the initial site. Falman grabbed his arm and held him up as they headed forward. Falman stood there dumbfounded, blown up tracks after the explosion, didn't make sense. But Mustang, it was clear as day. A battle had been fought. This was the work of the Crimson Alchemist.

Falman just looked at him as though Mustang lost it. Mustang looked at his subordinate, "We're being played…" To Falman's confusion he muttered, "I'll explain later." But since when was he, Roy Mustang, a target? So much thinking, so much his brain could take…

* * *

A man played with his beard in the caravan, his glasses fell a bit, which his fixed back in place with his finger. The glass shielded his eyes. The graying man chuckled, his raspy voice muttered, "You are still three moves behind Mustang." Reflecting on the day, "Hm, a good day. I won this round. I even got a great prize for winning. Your precious woman." Brigadier General Edison smiled, "Tomorrow is going to be fun."

* * *

_To be continued..._

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___In the next installment of Goldeneye_: Roy confronts the team and Hughes, a plan is devised.  
Now Hawkeye sees the horrors and wonders if they will be found before Ed...

**Chapter 6: Chess and Toys**

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Author's note: I hope you enjoyed. I hope you get something from this story once we get to the end. Let me know what you think!


	6. Chess and Toys

Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist. This is not being created for any form of profit.

Note: I hardly edited this chapter for spelling and grammar. I have been working on it all day and want to throw it up on here. I am tired, so without further ado, Enjoy. Yes yes, I will be going back to fix stuff up. I am sorry to all those who cringe at the errors.

Warning: Slight gore and molestation.

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**Chapter 6: Chess and Toys**

Ed woke a bit chilled. Still dazed but his eyes adjusted to the low light. His mouth was dry, he licked his chops which didn't help, his stomach growled. The last time they ate was breakfast before they boarded the train.

Still inside the metal cage Envy had placed him in, zapped of all his energy, he was only able to drag his head along the steel floor to survey his surroundings. Located in the middle of a hallway lined with bars and stone, it was yet another lab.

A groggy voice called his name. He looked over, Riza's shadow was moving closer to the bars, he could see her hands taking a hold of the rods. "Stupid to ask but are you okay?" Ed snorted a reply. A small smile appeared on her face. What was it about animals that calmed humans? Was it the blunt truth, sense of security?

"Are they the same people as before?" Ed did his best to nod. "Do you know what they are after?" He put a paw over his face. Riza translated that he had no idea. He's goldeneyes were sympathetic eyes and full of worry. In his gut he knew she was here because of him. His fault once more. He wanted to get across how sorry his was, to which his voice came out as a sad whine, she responded, "Hey now, don't give up on me. We'll get out of this. Somehow…You're the magical one that can pull multitudes of things from your ass." _Not what I meant…but true, I can. _

He huffed frustrated at everything. She took a moment to reflect on it, wondering what was going through his mind by reading his eyes; they were the windows to the soul. Ah, there it was, "Ed, it's not your fault. We didn't foresee any of this."

A door burst open. Ed didn't even lift his head. Someone started to push Ed's cage away, Riza rose to her feet, her voice traveled down the hallway demanding, "Where are you taking him?!"

A person stood before her cell, short brown hair and a white coat held a clip board and a key which opened the cell allowing two guards to flood in. She put up a weak fight. They easily subdued her and held her firmly on her feet as the white coat attached something to her wrist explaining, "You are 4295393, Forty-two ninety-five for short. You are being taken in for questioning." He turned and the guards took her out, there was no point to resist in this moment, she allowed them to guide her to the door they came through. She mentally charted their route, they arrived at a door, before they entered, and a man standing there with a camera shot a photo.

The white coat opened the steel door, the guard hastily sat her in a wooded chair. It was the stereotypical interrogation room, one lamp for lighting at the table, otherwise the room was dark, two mugs, and an astray.

The white coat half sat on the edge table watched as they handcuffed her to the table, "You're smart to be a bit cooperative... I guess it doesn't hurt to answer your question. We are being ordered to try reversing 35742's state." Her eyes widened before she spoke he continued, "That's right, it works or it doesn't." She heart was pounding in her chest, she had never heard of a successful try with animals, let alone a human. With the realization and panic that he was about to be killed, she tried to stand up in protest, another photo was taken, the handcuffs dug into her wrists, "It's a death sentence! You can't-!" His finger went up waving it side to side, "Tst, tst, tst. Keep calm now Forty-two ninety-five."

Bitterly defying him, "Lieutenant Hawkeye." A clip board smacked her across the face. He leaned forward, "Best to learn your name Forty-two ninety-five." Pushing her back into her seat, "It shouldn't be that hard, just a number." There was a knock on the door, Riza's lethal eyes narrowed at their prey as he got up and opened the door. She had no time to imagine what Ed was going through right now, her stomach was twisting non- the-less.

A board man entered, standing tall walking in with his hands behind his back, a gray beard that covered half his face, the color matched his hair. Beady eyes watched her through oval glasses. She held her shock within, noticing the rank. A Brigadier General took a seat across from her, the name tag labeled him as Edison.

They were not going to let them out of here alive… He had the ear of the Fürher, which meant the Fürher himself knew all about this lab. For the fact she knew the lab existed at all was too much intell.

Papers and a clip board were placed on the table, along with a recording device that another guard brought in. He grunted shooing them away with a wave of a hand. The camera man left, and guards retreated to a position behind her. The steel door whined shut.

Edison pulled out a pack of cigarettes, a lighter, pulling an ashtray closer to him. He flicked the lighter top up and lit a cigarette, his raspy-voice asked, "Would you like one?"

Trying to grasp the severity of the situation she simply stated, "No sir." His hand moved and flicked a metal piece up on the device which started the recording. "State your real name and new number."

* * *

Colonel Roy Mustang sat in a hospital bed, a the room was filled with his men, Breda who was sitting in a guest chair had his right arm in sling, Havoc was lying in a bed next to him, Falman standing against the wall, and Fuery sitting on the window sill. Accompanying them was Hughes, sitting in Roy's guest chair, and Armstrong, over guarding the door. He had explained the situation from the beginning with Hughes' quick notes. High military officials involved, Ed was Goldeneye the whole time, and how they were being basically fucked with. Silence followed.

Havoc leaned back on the head board of the hospital bed, "Wait a minute." He paused absorbing it all, "Are you telling me, you had to pick up after Ed's shit?" Some snickered at the thought. Mustang retorted, "Is that any different from what I have to do normally?" The tension filled room broke out with laughter. It came back to a quiet calm when Fuery brought back the solemn truth, "Now Hawkeye is caught up in this. It doesn't answer why they want you dead, sir."

Breda shrugged with his own thoughts, "If it had been any of us that got blown off the train in that situation, even if it was aimed at the Colonel. The result would have been the same, to be captured with Ed, I mean."

Hughes asked, "Any ideas? We have no new information."

The room fell silent for a second until Mustang pulled out his chess board from underneath his bed. Falman threw out, "Someone is pulling other strings, why would we be transferred to Central on short notice? They knew something was up." Hughes pointed out, "They somehow figured that Mustang had Ed. Or it was staging the assassination." Breda disagreed as Mustang placed the chess board on a tray, putting the pieces in place. Breda stated, "It could have been a protection attempt."

Mustang turned the board so he was the white side. Havoc quietly watched as Mustang pulled the queen and a knight from the board, mentally noting, 'Hawkeye and Ed. The Queen was the only female piece on the board. Known historically, the Queen was the 'purest' woman with limited power, but used her own secret channels to work around the power of men…'

Havoc spit out the rest of the thought, "The red light district. Powerful men go to the red light district. At times they flaunt themselves." Hughes disliked the idea but nodded seeing where he was going, "It's a shot to gain some footing. A slip here and there after get them drunk, loosening them up, eventually they start talking." Havoc continued eagerly, "We are in Central where all the information is, it is bound to turn up."

Hughes stood up and sat on Roy's bed looking down at the board, he took the Queen from Roy's hand, "Put me, the Counselor, on the board, until the Queen gets back." His warm smile reassured Roy. Armstrong's burly man voice nodded in Mustangs direction, "Place me, as the Knight, on the board. No handicaps for the other side, Sir."

Mustang did and pinched the bridge of his nose, "We are still moves behind." Havoc drew a breath, "Not for long, tonight you and I are visiting the Red light district." Furey jumped on his feet, Falman followed suit saying, "I will get you some nice clothes." Mustang ordered, "Nothing short of a three pieced suit, Madam Christmas will not consult us otherwise."

As they left, Mustang moved a pawn and a bishop into play.

* * *

Ed was rolled into a huge room, men with lab coats were all around. Two sides of the cage were simultaneously pulled down. Ed tried to snap at one arm entering and missed while the other had easy access to his collar yanking him out. Ed pushed back on his front and hind legs, resisting where ever he was being dragged. A needle pierced his bad hind leg, he felt his mind get foggy again, his limbs went limp. Now they easily pulled him on his side to the center.

The transmutation cycle pass beneath him. He continued trying to snap, throwing his head around, he wasn't giving up. Fear erupted from his chest, _No, no, not again! Let me go… I'm okay with this. I can deal with it, leave me alone! _The lines were different this time, crossing in different paths and patterns… What the hell were they about to do? A flash. Pop. Electric whine. He looked up; there was a balcony, the guy with the gold teeth smiled. Razing his arms up, he spoke, "Let's begin!"

The hair on his body began to stand on end, in a sense he was happy that his stomach was empty, he knew what was coming. His nails scratched at the stone floor as he tried to drag himself out, the black lines illuminated with red, _They're using a fake stone?_ Every nerve in his body exploded with pain. He could no longer breathe, move, or think while every part of his body was ripped, deconstructed, and reconstructed. The body wreathed, twitched, violently jerking around. Steams of blood would appear and disappear. He welcomed the darkness that took him.

* * *

Mustang walked into the tavern with Havoc. They weaved through all the women and men who packed the place until they reached the bar. A voluptuous woman, with ruby red lipstick leaned over, placing her chest on the table, when she put two napkins down in front of the boys, wanting to know their drink of choice. Mustang pulled his napkin closer while taking out a fountain pen to write, _Is it Christmas Eve already? The woman silently took the napkin, "Oh the suite, right this way." She led them through a door and up a flight of stairs. She knocked on a door allowing them to enter. The room was a lounging den, with some small tables with chairs. Madam Christmas sat alone, with paper work everywhere, smoking. She looked up and noticed who had entered._

"Roy-boy!" Her eyes narrowed, sternly she asked, "What the hell is this about?" She threw the paper down in front of him as Roy approached the table with Jean. "Madam, this is Lt. Jean Havoc." She stood up to shake his hand, they both sat down with her. "Are you bringing me your boyfriend home for approval?" Jean chuckled, Roy sighed, "Madam…" She instagated, "We he is very handsome, I approve." Roy gave her a look, which prompted her to reply, "Roy-boy I was only joking. When are you going to bring someone around here anyway?"

His face darkened a bit, he would have brought Riza, which Madam Christmas seemed to get the hint, "Oh, what did happen?" Roy tapped his fingers on the table, "I have no idea. That is why I am here." He filled her in on some deals, she nodded, "Smart one aren't you Havoc." She took a drag before she continued, "I wish I had news but I don't. However," she took out some poker chips with her logo, with wads of cash. She pulled out a piece of paper and wrote some names. "These women serve their country in their own way… Find them and give them the chip. Don't worry about the money, we have people missing, it's a nonfactor. Speak to them, set up what you need." Roy nodded as he went to stand, she lightly tapped his hand, "Play the game Roy, and get her back." He nodded understanding what he was about to try pull.

* * *

Edison clicked the tape off. Riza's blood was now dotting the table, some dribbled off her chin onto her uniform. Her fingers were throbbing.

Edison had motioned for something. The two guards undid her handcuffs, pulling her to her feet, immediately she became dizzy, May was right, way too much blood loss in one day.

Edison walked and stood by the door, flicking on a flood light. Riza's eyes stung attempting to quickly adjust to the brightness. He opened the door and retrieve what looked like clothing; he threw it at the guards. "Change her." They ripped and yanked the uniform off her body. She stood proud; he was trying to humiliate her and she was not going to let him win. There was a deep sorrow in her heart as she felt and heard the uniform being torn from her body.

The twisted man watched in fascination as her body was displayed before him. Her face was already bruising; her body was shaking from fatigue and cold, and he could only guess there was some anger there. Her amber eyes focused and determined. Mustang had found himself an interesting woman indeed, "Now my toy…" She barely caught those words.

One guard, a red head, ripped the black shirt off from the front, taking scissors to cut off her bra. The other guard stood behind her holding her steady, by a grip on her upper arms. He watched as the black shirt revealed her back as he slowly pealed it off, allowing it to land with the rest of the uniform on the floor. His eyes were wide as saucers, "Sir, you need to see this." Edison's eyebrows lifted with intrigue. Hawkeye now resisted, naked and exposed, she was spun around toward the guard, now being held up with a firm grasp by her elbows. His chest in her face, he was tall. A wave of dizziness; instinctively she tried to steady herself by gripping was on his upper arms.

Edison drew closer, his hand traced down her back. She forced back any sign of weakness, focusing straight forward on the guard's chest pocket button. She felt those ruff fingers move over the lines her father etched in her skin, then they moved back up to the scars. Her heart swelled with pride, Roy left those to destroy the art and horror those flames could produce. The guard saw her smirk.

"My my," She heard the raspy-voice whisper in her ear; the smirk faded away, her eyes still focused on the button. "Aren't you a woman full of secrets…" He licked his lips, "I like that…" His hand now traveled to her navel, the guard felt her fingers dig into his arms. He showed no signs of pain. Riza could feel this psychotic man's hot breath on the middle of her back. She took it back, Scar was a saint.

Edison closely examined the tattoo leaving her the perfect opportunity to elbow him in the head. She jerked her arm to do so, but the guard held his grip tight, no one could clam she even tried.

Her amber eyes screamed hatred for the man holding her back, but when their eyes met it caused her confusion. Did those eyes seem apathetic? You had to be watching close to notice the tiniest shake of his head telling her, no. Her eyebrows closed the gap on her forehead, he had just beaten her prior, was this a test?

Thankfully the roaming hands left her body. When the guard saw Edison turn around, he moved his head to indicate continuing the order. With lighting speed, her pants were around her ankles and up. The guard moved Hawkeye's hands to his shoulders as he tied the draw string around her waist. She took note of his features, short dusty brown hair, young, maybe seventeen. His eyes were dark brown.

The camera man was let in. The guard steadied her by the elbows. As Edison left he ordered, "Put Forty-two ninety-five back in her cell." A photo was taken before they put her shit on. Her number was hastily sown on the left chest. Before she was turned around, she felt the guard slip something down the front of her pants. It was held by her underwear she never noticed them slip back on. Silently she was taken back, they looked both ways before carefully placing her down. He said between his teeth, "You rat me out, I will _kill_ you." With that he slammed the cell door shut and was gone. When she heard the door close, she pulled whatever was in her underwear. Wrapped chocolate squares. Sugar. Who was this guy? She ate half, hoping Ed would be returned. Unfortunately, it only made her feel hungrier than she was before.

* * *

A raven haired woman slipped into the booth next to Roy, across from Havoc and his acquaintance. She had on a beautiful blue dress that accented her steel blue eyes. Her hair was wavy and pulled back by a matching clip. She uttered, "I understand you were looking for me?" She put her arm on the table, resting her chest on it, as her other arm held up her head, lazily looked at the handsome guy next to her. Mustang asked, "Are you Ms. Ivory Hayes?" She nodded looking him up and down, her voice trailed off seductively, "I don't think I have met you before…" Havoc was already being led away by his 'catch'.

Mustang coolly replied, "Your name came highly recommended," he inched forward, "you see I had a bad break up." Her hand traveled up his arm as she leaned forward, for more view of her cleavage, "Aw poor poor baby." Her arm went around his neck as she pressed her chest against him. He opened his jacket and pulled up the cash for her view, a smile went across her face as he asked, "Will you make me forget about her tonight?" She placed her lips on his, turning it into a hungry passionate kiss. To which he returned, for the witnesses in this lounge. She tasted of cigarettes and cherries. After some time she withdrew and took his hand, leading him out of the lounge and to a hotel, teasing him the whole way up the stairs to the two room suite. Once they were in and closed the door, she slammed him against it. He turned his head to the side, as she went in for another kiss, "Stop."

She stood back. He flashed the poker chip between his fingers. Her eyebrows lifted as she took it, "Ahh Madam Christmas. What does she need?" Her act was dropped and her voice was at a normal tone. Mustang sat in a chair as she sat on the couch. He replied, "It's more a mission, for me." The woman sat back intrigued, he asked, "Would you like for me to order up some coffee and a meal?" She smiled, a bit shocked at his kindness, "Yes, thank you. I would like that."

Once the meal arrived Ivory had already understood the type of man he really was. The gentleman, so she urged him to talk about the meaning of all of this, "This is my job, it is what I do for a living, so you are not coursing me or extorting me in anyway. So tell me what I can do for you and Madam Christmas, for her to send you to me, it must be important."

"I need you to target high ranking military officials, trust your instinct on the rest. Two of my subordinates are missing." She took a sip of coffee, this was more than interesting, "Who?" Mustang hated giving out all this information to a person he didn't know, trust in Madam Christmas was all he had, "Lt. Riza Hawkeye and Major Edward Elric. Don't-" She stopped him with her hand, "I know what to do. Tell me more about the girl. Men who get at women like to brag."

Mustang cringed and said, "Blonde hair, light brown eyes, chestnut like, about five foot four, and she has a large red tattoo on her back. Are you on board?"

She smirked, "Oh yes."

* * *

By her calculations, the sun rose and set six times since capture. She could be off. There were times she had passed out during and after interrogations. She always hoped for the Dusty Duo, nicknamed after the dusty-brown haired guard she encountered the first night she was here. She was not always lucky to get them all the time, they obviously had shifts. Those two had the skill to leave marks but leave out the abundant pain. Internally, started to map out their timesheets in her head, she tried to calculate the distance they drove to know how to get out.

She curled up with her thin blanket, the inmate clothes they had given her were light blue, now stained with some old blood. She had not seen that Edison since, nor has she seen Ed. With all the cells, she was the only one in the room. So sat and waited, lost in her memories and thoughts, staring up through mirrored empty cell across from her that had a barred slit of a window at the top. She wondered what they were doing, there were times the last couple of days she heard someone cry out in pain at random times of the day.

The door creaked open, she became alert. Dusty pushed a Kaiser roll though the bars as he passed. She quickly grabbed it shoving it under the blanket. He and his friend were the only ones to do this for her. Every time she wondered why. They even put out more effort on days she was withheld from food. The lab's intent was to keep her in a weakened state, which was working, even with the help. They had already poked and prodded her back, now trying to extract the missing information from her. No way in hell was she going to give it up.

After finishing half the role, she took to examining her body, filled with bruises, cuts, and new scars from the explosion. One of her ribs was definitely broken; she had to be careful of that. They tried to extend her humiliation by cutting her hair off. She ran her finger through her now extremely short hair. Now a number, not a person. Nothing belonged to her, everything taken away. She got the gist of it, didn't mean she believed it though. They could take everything away, but they could not take away her determination and hope. She had been through hell. This was just a different layer.

A blood curdling scream startled her; it echoed though the hall down to her cell, pouncing off the walls. They were getting clear and more intense. She sat back against the wall and closed her eyes. Hawkeye dug her nails into her palms in vexation. This was why Mustang was going to the top and she had to live for this asinine calculating and manipulative side organization had to be put to an end, if even for Ed's sake. She gulped and started to breathe hard muttering, "For Ed's sake…" With the next wave of a painful cry from the walls, she matched with grievance, slamming her fist against the wall. He is only fifteen and has experienced more than an average man at 70. Or was… She ran her fingers though her hair as the cries tugged at her core. She did not know for how long, but they eventually stopped when she was thinking about Al.

The door at the other end of the hall banged open, she heard Dusty scold his partner, "Damn it Sam, hold him still and steady." Riza got up and moved to the bars. Sam muttered back, "That wasn't normal…"Dusty viciously spat back, "Shut up!" The door banged open again. Riza stepped back into the shadows as a lab coat fluttered past, unlocking the cell across from her. He ordered Dusty and Sam to, "Throw him in." They did. Riza could not make out her new neighbor cell mate just yet. But as they walked away, a very bloody exposed back, on its right side. Bandages went around his right shoulder and body. The body curled into a fetal position. The spine clearly visible, each bone pushing against the skin, ribs moving as the lungs were heaving for air. She drew closer; the pant leg was flat, it was a left leg. Tufts of fur were found here and there, his blond hair was as short as hers. The door snapped shut.

"Edward? Ed? ED!" She grabbed onto the bars. The body turned on its back, as it did, it coughed up blood. She fell to her knees, her head against the chilled steel. In her commanding voice, "Come on turn one more time, that's an order Edward Elric!" Even though he was the superior he obeys with one last effort. Blood spilled from his mouth.

The rock that was Hawkeye, shed a silent tear, pressing her head against the bars. 'It was his this whole time'.

Either she was dead and yelling at him or she was really there. This whole week had been nothing but pain. It was only today those mangled dog limbs were hacked off. His hair had been shedding off his skin, the blanket of warm now left him with a chill. He was violently shaking. His eyes only half opened to look for her, he could make out an outline.

Riza thought of something, she reached out her arm it was short the middle of the hallway by about two inches. "Ed stay with me. Push yourself Elric! Reach for the center of the hallway for me." He was uncoordinated as his arm flopped around to find the bars, he grunted as he pulled himself toward it, throwing his arm out. Riza noted they hand a four inch difference. "That's it keep your arm out." She rolled the only blanket she had tight. Patiently, snaking it across the floor, he coughed some more, when he felt something touch his hand he grabbed it with his digits. He had fingers… "Good pull it toward you." He did, finding a blanket and half a roll. Shakily, he threw the blanket over him with his one arm as best he could. Still coughing and body screaming in pain, he slowly ate the food, wanting to vomit with every bite. She was sitting right in his line of vision. He pressed his head against the bars, she understood that as dog speak for thank you.

* * *

Mustang got up from his desk, about to leave with Hughes, who was handing him his coat. The office was set up like the one he had in East City. All his subordinates shared the large room with him. Hughes came over from his office, so they could head back to his place together for Gracia's wonderful dinner. Mustang glanced at the chess board set up, wondering when his patience for information would last. He wanted to be more aggressive, but his team was right, that had to be covert.

Suddenly, Major Alex Armstrong flew in (if a man of that size could fly), slamming an opened package on the desk.

Hughes peered down into the box before opening it. He gave the Major a sheepish look, "Aren't you the barer of wonderful boxed items." The Major sighed, "It's not automail this time Lieutenant Colonel." Havoc rushed in with the audio device, the rest of the team flooded in behind him. Breda was the last and locked the doors. Mustang did not like what their actions were alluding too.

Armstrong explained, "The package was addressed to you, sir, but labeled without return address. We assessed for a bomb, I apologize for-" Mustang stopped him, "No need Major, you were doing your duty."

Mustang opened the box to see a copy of a file. Hughes spotted the magnetic tape at the bottom of the box, and started to set it up, taking it over to the other desks in the room. The file number 4295393. He opened it up, pictures once again clipped to the file. A black and white photograph of Hawkeye being led somewhere. Her uniform was tethered a bit, and darkened in places, most likely from blood from the incident. How were her wounds healed? Leg and arm, and the cuff, blood still on the side of her face. The next one, she was furious, handcuffed to a table, standing up confronting a lab coat sitting at the edge of the table.

Havoc was now standing next to him, seeing a picture being held in his commander's hands of an unconscious Hawkeye, in inmate clothing, hands tied behind the chair, her ankles bound to it. Someone was holding her chin up for the picture. Her face was bloody. Havoc had no response to this, he could only think about Mustang's sanity right now.

Hughes asked Armstrong, "Did you hear this yet?"

"No, sir."

Both Mustang and Havoc's head shot up when a raspy-voice was heard, "State your real name and new number."

"Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye, 4-2-9-5-3-9-3," she sounded precise but very tired. The man spoke again, "Who is your commanding officer?"

Her response was clear, "You should know that answer." Her voice inquired, "Can I have that cigarette now, sir?" Mustang sat listening intently; she does, nor has ever smoked. "Certainly," was followed by shifting of items, he nonchalantly continued, "Humor me."

She coolly played back, "Prove to me that you are what you are wearing." Mustang and Hughes looked at each other and smirked, same tactic as Ed. He fell for the bait, "The Flame Alchemist, Colonel Roy Mustang."

Her handcuffs clicked twice, Mustang yelled, "Pause it!" Hughes clicked it and Mustang furiously pulled a pen out and shuffled for a clean piece of paper. Noticing Fuery expediently picked up some sheets from his desk and handed them over. Mustang muttered, "Smoking for the excuse to tap the ashes." Once he was ready, "Okay go."

Her voice came through, "Envy of East City." Roy wrote an E on the paper. The male asked, "Does he have any close allies in Central?"

"Don't take me for a stupid blonde." The E was followed by a D, with that she sustained a blow. The male repeated, "Does he have any close allies in Central?" Now she was agitated, "In case you haven't caught on, I'm not answering the question." The letter I. The male grunted in dissatisfaction stating, "Women are stubborn creatures."

"So I have been told. Only, they used the word persistent." The group chuckled huddled around the device. S and O found their way on the paper. The raspy came through once more, "Do you have any idea what is in store for you?"

Bluntly she said, "No." The two taps ended her code. Mustang passed it to Hughes, his eyes wide. A cold laugh came though, with a sarcastic tone, "You mean Colonel Mustang did not tell you about Lab 5? How can you trust that man? He had to have found 35742's file, which lead him to the chimera. It had a tape, and some pictures of the experiment. I don't believe he told you nothing." Suddenly they heard something smash on the table and Hawkeyes resistance to a verbal pain response. "Don't lie to me, bitch." Mustang went to get up, Havoc's hands held him down in the chair. "You best start remembering that you're _my_ toy now." The tape ended.

For the first time they saw pure rage erupt from their commander. Havoc and Hughes, who jumped up, pushed Roy back down. Hughes got in his face, "This is what he wants! He is provoking you. Think straight!" Hughes continued in a whisper, "This is a Brigadier General we are talking about, one that is in Bradley's cabinet of advisers. You can't touch him or we will never find her, alive."

Breda was at the box when Fuery asked, "What about Ed?" Breda replied, "I'm lookin'!" He opened the box, nothing else inside. He shook his head, "Nothing."

The last picture Roy set eyes on: a naked picture of Riza back. She was held up by the support of another young looking male. He wanted to find and burn that man to charcoal. Falman stated, "There is something written on the back." Mustang flipped it over, _Secrets to be had._ He threw the photo down, "Fuck." Now they wanted the secrets to Flame Alchemy.

Now this was another direct attack against him.

He got up and walked over to the board, moving some pieces around, using the black queen to be in line to capture the white king, "Check."

* * *

_To be continued..._

_____In the next installment of Goldeneye_: Edison starts to lose his patience with Hawkeye.  
Ed's sanity wanes and what the hell does Edison have against the Flame Alchemist?

**Chapter 7: A Beautiful Mind**

* * *

Note: I have notes for the next chapters. Going to get on it asap. KEEP IN MIND I always have meaning behind what I do.

I am kind of sorry for these random new people, I couldn't find any to work with in series. I usually dislike it in stories, but they hopefully don't take up to much of the main story. B. General Edison is actually a character, an adviser to Bradley in the series and was promised an immortal body after the promised day. Yes, I somehow keep these useless facts stored somewhere in my brain, though I admit do not know if his voice is really raspy. I needed it to be for the recordings and added creepy factor.

I hope you enjoyed, again please let me know what you think.


	7. A Beautiful Mind

Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist. This is not being created for any form of profit.

Warning: Sexual content, mentions of sexual abuse, violence, torture.

**A huge acknowledgement to a very awesome patient writer, who offered lots of time and wisdom. I am eternally grateful. **(I am not sure if this patient writer wants to be known for her beta skills, I have to ask tomorrow if I am allowed to post the username! To late at the moment now.)

* * *

**Chapter 7: A Beautiful Mind**

"I lost track of the days," Riza bitterly noted, angry at herself for messing up on a simple task. It had been a while since Ed returned, she wished she knew how long. Ed glanced at , were they losing weight.

He shifted to his back, his voice sounded as if he hit puberty again, going high pitched cracking once and a while, "Oh no, now you can't tell people the exact amount of days we used to spend wonderful quality time together."

Riza watched a mouse snooze near her foot. At some point in time, when she wasn't conscious, Dusty brought her a blanket to replace the one she gave to Ed. There was no understanding the kindness from that boy.

Ed's eyes fluttered up to see a small crow had landed on the slit of a barred window. Damn thing was free. "You better not shit on me."

Riza was utterly confused. "_What?" _

She shivered and looked up, small snowflakes danced in the air behind the crow. "Oh."

Ed snorted once she realized what he meant, then started to roll the blanket up. "What you thought I was losing my mind?"

She saw what he was trying to do and started to reject the offer. "Ed, keep it I'm fine."

He shot her a look. "Hawkeye, I can't listen to you suffer anymore."

Riza fell quiet for a second. This entire time she fought off any verbal pain response to keep from satisfying the psychopath. Admittedly, there were times where this was not an option… Wait, he could hear her when interrogated? Embracement waved through her veins. Well, it made sense; there were times were Riza could hear him…

"I am not taking it Ed, I'm fine."

He sighed, his argument defeated. It would require her to reach for the blanket.

Riza played with the bracelet, running her fingers over engraving etched in the brass. The number forever imprinted in her brain. She wondered aloud, "How do you pick the number? I understand it has to do with the amount of letters in your last name."

Ed pushed himself up to a sitting position with his left arm. The room was growing darker now, the sun setting somewhere behind the snowy clouds.

"Your last name transposed to a telephone number, it's sort of clever. Each number has a set of three letters on each number, except for seven and nine, the have four each."

Riza smiled at Ed, welcoming the familiar intellectual rant about to ensue.

"One and zero don't have any, which is a clue. They will never be used. Take, for example, my number 35742. Now, even if someone were to figure it out, there would be possible outcomes. You would have to narrow down which combinations actually create names. For you, it is worse - seven letters with the use of nine…you would have more variables…. That would make…. 6,480 different possible combinations."

Riza was staring at him. "Ed?"

He turned his head to meet her gaze. "Hm?"

"You're a freak."

Ed chuckled rubbing his forehead.

She continued, "A smart, extremely helpful, reliable one, but a freak."

He started to laugh, "Hawkeye, it's simple math."

She shrugged. "Give me distances, arches, grids, anything but probabilities and possibilities. I have a gift for estimations."

Ed's mind drew a line of chalk from present day to his childhood days. Young Eddie used graph paper to learn how to draw a perfect, the beginning to comprehend the importance of arches. Mastering the estimation between the curves though spaces, connecting the corners and lines of the squares, he removed the paper. Now imagining the grid on the surface, he would draw an array. All the designs and patterns uniquely used for the task and/or materials at hand - all with mathematical precision…

Ed's brow lifted, as he realized something. "You can do alchemy?"

Riza let out a deep sigh. "Yeah. I understand a certain kind."

Feeling tired, Ed lay back down, turning on his side to face her. Even if Ed tried to do alchemy to get them out, they would be killed on the spot. Too many of them verse the weaponless gun expert and arm amputee clapping alchemist. They had to figure out a secure plan of action, and this talk seemed like a vacation from all that plotting.

She glanced at him. "I chose not do any alchemy."

Ed was intrigued; Riza did have a mysterious side to her.

"What's the certain kind of-?" he stopped when she snapped her fingers. The what-the-fuck face said it all. His brain rewired itself for a moment. "They want _his_?"

Riza rolled her shoulders. "Yes and no. It was my father's. _He_ was my father's apprentice."

The comic smirk crossed Ed's face. "Ah ha, so you guys go way back."

Her cheeks flushed red. A hearty chuckle came from the young alchemist. His golden eyes were unfocused, recalling a memory as he spoke. Since the start of their stay at the Quality Time Asylum, both wordlessly agreed never to utter Roy Mustang's name. This had nothing to do with fear, but it had everything to do with an act of instigating frustration with their lovely caretakers. They knew him but they didn't know him, they worked with him for some time but he was essentially nonexistent.

"He was really nervous that night." Shined his shoes for over an hour, acted like a girl picking out the best thing to wear for the date. He had a tight grip on the leash as we approached your block. He tried to hide his jitters."

Ed was grinning as she absorbed every word. "I had to nudge him to knock on your door," he paused as his eyes moved to meet hers, "You're right, he has fears, too. He twitches at night to some of the nightmares. I can't help but believe he'll try to fix this all one day, whether he knows it or not, he will be a leader for change."

A smile crossed her lips. If Ed only knew.

"I hate to admit it, but the bastard has a gentle touch." He threw up his hand waving it in defense when she began to laugh. "Don't take it the wrong way!"

"I didn't, I didn't! Relax, Ed. This place is making you insane. I never thought you would admit an understanding of him."

They were silent for a while, then she asked, "What was it like being a canine?"

Hawkeye heard Ed roll on his back and watched as another mouse scurried over to join the one by her feet. She added with a little sarcasm, "It's not every day I get to ask that question."

He smirked and snorted at that fact. The mice were now curled up next to each other, not a care in the world.

Absentmindedly, he answered, "There was Roy, Winry-" He paused and ran his hand though his hair.

"Tell me Riza-" Her eyebrows lifted, it was the first time he ever used her first name. "Why do we always wait? Why do we always hide what we feel?"

He waited a few moments for her response. "It's a human condition. Society is what we created it to be, with rules of engagement even to the decision of what fork we use at dinner. Things we feel are buried due to judgment and other people's sense of entitlement. Sometimes personal fears come into play: maybe you will appear weak. The human condition, with all it's the feelings and emotions, is there to remind us that we are only human in the end."

Ed took a second to let that absorb, repeating to himself, "Only human… But our weaknesses only make us stronger..."

There was silence once more, but each second nudged Riza's curiosity, finally pushing her to ask, "What were you saying about Winry?"

A nervous laugh followed from the old Goldeneye. "I never fully understood the pain I was causing her. She spoke about how she could never confess her feelings to me." He gave a sad, pained laugh. "But she could tell a dog."

Ed propped himself up on his left elbow, excited to share his thought, "A dog can't share your secrets, only be there to patiently listen. They can never judge, but they can't offer up advice. A dog can never cry, but can make you laugh from the soul. To make one smile and relax by simply using their actions without words.

"Dogs and humans are in a ying-yang existence, almost Equivalent Exchange. They need you as much as you need them, you let go of the complexity to meet their simplicity, their simplicity is their complexity, in understanding more than you can see.

"It is frightening not to know what is going to happen to you. A dog can't chose; it gets thrown into situations and into people's care. You don't even know if you will see that someone ever again when they leave." His memory flashed to seeing Roy wave at him from a distance.

"To answer your question, I was able to see things, understand a person faster than I would have if I was this." He slapped his chest. "Because of the thoughts inside the beautiful mind only a human can possess, the complexity that encapsulates our logic was put to the side.

"It reminded me of the little things in life. I have been stuck on one huge goal, forgetting to stop and live for the now once and a while, forgetting it's okay to simply stop and enjoy eating a piece of pie _with a fork_, without constantly trying to find answers to problems. It doesn't make me want to get Al's body back any less, it will still take time… And to think actions, the simple wag of a tail, could be enough to change someone's day, you should see how people smile when their heart is warmed because they are recognized or welcomed home."

A shuddering sigh came from Riza. Her sleeve came up to wipe away a tear from her cheek. The teen was wise beyond his years, both Elrics were. Ed, for a moment, was shocked. He had never seen or heard her cry before. She was a rock. But now he was Goldeneye, and she did not just listen - she heard what he said.

It made her think about Roy, what he must be going through, the many words left unsaid between them. It seemed so ridiculous now. Why were humans so overly complex? So foolish?

Her own faithful companion, Hayate, she never thought of his end of the bargain, always faithful and loyal. Dusty, why should there even be a reason for his kindness, was it not the right humane thing to do, given the situation? The pieces started to fit, and what a wakeup call. She nodded thoughtfully. "That's why a dog is man's best friend."

* * *

Hughes entered the apartment, there were papers everywhere, and spotted legs dangling off the sofa arm. "Oh Roy…"

He walked over and glanced down at his sorry disheveled best friend, an empty scotch glass near him on the table. The guy was sleeping in his clothes. Maes tapped him on the shoulder. Roy jerked awake. Hughes ruffled his hair.

"Hey boy, time to wake up!" He imitated a butler while picking up empty glasses and mugs. "It's Saturday, the 20th of February 1915, a crisp 32 degrees with slight winds traveling northwest at five miles per hour. There is a chance of snow. Come on, get up, people will be here any minute."

"Why did I not get an invitation to the party at the house?" Roy's voice was thick with sleep as he fixed his hair.

Maes was doing something in the kitchen when Roy grabbed his jacket up from over the couch, the red ball falling in his lap. His chest constricted. He took it in hand, threw on the coat, and went outside to sit on the stoop. Roy heard the door open again and Hughes sat next to him handing over a cup of coffee, bluntly asking, "So what is the deal with Edison?"

"Ishval. It was right after our run in with the obnoxious Kimblee. My group was given an order to take down the last strong hold in the western section of the main city, but the location was based on a rumor. I had intel of a different nature. Convinced the rumors were falsified, I took it to Edison, my commander at the time.

"He was looking for a good fight, he thought he had found one, and ignored my advice. I, knowing we would unnecessarily lose lives, changed the order on the field. This one moment ripped his recorded to pieces after the investigation was done on my insubordination. We got the right place, the other place would have led to a trap, we would have been like lambs to the slaughter.

"Everything came to light and tarnished his record for quite some time. We played power games for the rest of the war. I was given medals and the rank of Lt. Colonel; he was given nothing."

Hughes murmured, "He's a bit off then. A true soldier does not want shiny metals."

Mustang sipped his coffee, "Well, this one is a winner, and he's really bitter for that and other things. He resents and hates me. I thought that was all done with."

Hughes sighed. "Some people are just sick."

* * *

The door slammed open into the wall, startling the two prisoners. They were so hungry and exhausted they barely stirred awake. The mice scurried away to hide amongst the deeper shadows. Ed eyed them, wishing he could follow. Two clicks, and both cells were unlocked. _Wait a minute_, Ed pushed himself up. _They were being taken together? Since when?_ Something did not feel right about this.

Ed was hoisted up to his left foot by two guards, and another two guards – not Dusty and Sam - had Riza attached to them in cuffs, Eds left wrist and a guard's right one. Holding her steady, they were led down some hallways into what looked like large medical room. Both of them had been in a similar, but smaller, room before. Riza's back was examined in one, but Ed's experience had been between his "treatments", or otherwise known as large doses of 'mild irritation' to his nervous system that delved into his bone marrow.

He was secured to a wooden chair as Riza was thrown onto the metal examining table face down. They yanked her shirt off. Ed scrunched his eyes closed, trying to be respectful of her.

The sound of metal clanking drew his attention, and he watched as her handcuffs were connected to an alchemized pole. He could not see her personal parts, but he did see the huge tattoo, and immediately began breaking it down in his head. That was the key to Flame Alchemy. It would take him months to decipher, and some of it was obscured by scars.

Her legs were bound together, and then to the table. The door opened again as Edison strolled into the room, hands behind his back, chest puffed out.

Ed snarled. "What is this all about?"

He was hit in the gut with a stick. Edison sighed. "What was our old rule, 35742? Don not speak unless spoken to; I'm the only one to ask the questions."

Ed smirked, ignoring Edison. Turning his head to a guard and leaning forward a bit, "Mind scratching my back, see that last bit of fur-?"

He was hit again this time in his leg. "Fuck easy there, pal, last good leg."

Riza could see why he always ended up so badly injured, it kind of made her proud. A piece of black fabric covered her view as they blindfolded her. Her head was pushed flat against the table, faced toward Ed, and strapped in place.

"I am finished playing around with the two of you. Puppy, I pulled some interesting reports. Tell me, why are you sent on those interesting missions, Reole…Youswell…"Edision inquired.

"I like to deal with interesting missions?" Ed choked a cry as his side was slammed with metal.

Edison chuckled. "Stubborn, stubborn, 35742… I know you were after something, finding the fifth lab was an extraordinary measure and proved your devotion." He got up in Ed's face, so close Ed could feel Edison's nasty hot breath on his lips. "You're hiding something from me… I want to know what that mind has… why you are so valuable to the Good Gentleman and Mustang." Ed lifted a brow as Edison asked, "What do you know that I don't?"

"Honestly, I don't have a clue."

Edison's hand went up and he snapped his fingers. A rush of flames sounded and flew above Riza she felt a sudden source of heat near her back, the next one might not miss its mark. She was taking cover in Ishval, a window exploded overhead, showering glass and spreading intense heat overhead. It was impossible that he could have obtained the knowledge behind the art.

Ed was the one who could see the source, a gasoline blow torch, a very dangerous, experimental contraption. The device was already lit, the amount of fuel used to blow out the flame was controlled by a twistable nob. The base of the device, which held the gas, hand a handle to hold the silver casket.

Ed sucked air in though his teeth, shaking with fury. "You son-of-a-bitch! I have no clue what you are talking about."

"You know even the Führer's son chatters away about you! So much fame and glory!"

Ed swallowed hard, this man was beyond reason, where was the sanity?

Edison laughed. "You have secrets, just like her! Mustang hordes secrets!" Edison tapped Ed on the forehead with a gloved finger. "It's all up in here." He slid his finger around Ed's face, cupping his chin tightly with his hand as he asked, "What is it that I don't know?"

Ed spat."Libraries full of things! I don't know what you want to know. It's too vague of a quest-" Edison briskly walked over to Riza and snapped his fingers by her ear. This time the flames burned, and she could not quell her reaction. Pulling at the handcuffs caused more pain to her wrists, but her body wanted to get away from the flames. It was only a few seconds, but Riza bit hard enough into her lip to cause it to bleed.

Ed breathed heavily as adrenaline, anxiety, and anger coursed through him. He pulled at his own restraints, sweat started to drip down from his forehead from the heat and the horror befalling them.

Ed continued defiantly, "That's too vague a question."

He received another blow from the metal stick, this time it definitely cracked a rib. The guard didn't notice. Ed felt the handcuffs cutting into his wrist, and waited to feel blood dripping down his hands. He needed to buy time.

Ed bit back his pride. Edison was sick, but he had to lap this up. "Master."

He had Edison's attention now, watching as the man's face contorted into a sick grin. "Yes, chimera?"

Why did he still call him that?

"Master, permission to speak."

Riza was livid to hear Ed lowering himself to that level. "Ed don't you dare-"

Another snap of the fingers, this time even though her mouth was closed, her throat still produced sounds of pain. A very amused raspy-voice (this man seemed worse blindfolded than in reality) answered Ed. "You may speak."

It took extreme effort to speak with no underlying tones. "What has you puzzled, sir?"

The monster laughed as he retrieved a photograph from a folder. "The chimera learns, not from bodily pain but pain from a companion. What a loyal animal you are. Mustang's little pet." Edison fingers held a picture of Riza's back in Ed's face. "Tell me what it means."

Ed was smart, sometimes too smart, and Riza panicked. "No Ed!"

Edison snapped his fingers, again smiling when her cry of pain went unmuffled.

Ed's eyes were fierce, focused, and as determined as ever. The handcuffs still cut into his wrist, he embraced the sharp pain and willed his thoughts at Riza. _Hold on Lt. Hawkeye, just a little more._ He quickly responded, "Please, Master, hold it still." He squinted to look at it. "That seems to be the basics to understanding Flame Alchemy."

Edison stared at the boy. "You know this by just looking at it?"

Ed nodded, his breathing still rapid. Edison's was breath caught in the air, unbelieving of Ed's intellect. Ed continued speaking, his heart racing as though he had just run for miles.

"Yes, sir. If it is on her back, then what you are doing is going to ruin the details I can't see from the photo."

Edison snapped up, the boy was right! He called for the medical team, they rushed in, after a quick assessment, there was nothing much they could do. The burns had gone deep. Some charred skin was slowly peeled off with tweezers. This place obviously did not know that civilization had invented strong pain medicine.

Edison pulled more photos out realizing that there were small details that could not be seen in the photo when compared her back. "FUCK!" He kicked Ed. That yank sideways had done the trick. His skin was sliced enough to where Ed finally felt blood slowly run downhis index finger. He started on a small array on the bottom of the chair.

000

Mustang played with the red ball, bouncing it against the stoop until he noticed Havoc approaching with Armstrong. The dirty blonde informed the men: Breda and the others would meet up with them later. When Havoc pulled out his pack of cigarettes, Mustang stole one, lighting the end with a snap. Havoc was impressed. "Slick."

The Flame Alchemist muttered with the cigarette bobbing in his mouth, "It's how I get the ladies."

Havoc laughed, at least Roy was joking some. Hughes knew it was a front. Roy quit after Ishval, so the stress was getting to him. When one caught Mustang's eyes in thought, it seemed as though _he_ was now the lost wondering puppy. No leads, no rumors, or whispers of rumors. Central was abnormally silent within the shadows.

The group decided on home cooking for once. Now the four headed to the market for some ingredients, the butcher to grab some meat, and the liquor store for some "light" refreshments.

Havoc noticed something on Roy's shoulder and tried to brush it off for him. Roy glanced over at it. "I will have to wash this coat again. It's dog hair, it's as stubborn as he is, it won't get off."

The dirty-blonde smirked, "Still I can't believe how well behaved he was, Colonel Roy Mustang was able to tame Edward Elric. What treats did you use?"

Mustang recollected, "He was fond of peanuts." Havoc laughed, "Oh so he likes salty nuts huh?" Everyone had a laugh.

When they entered the grocery store, Mustang went down a row and spotted a little girl with braids trying to grab chips from a higher shelf. Naturally he went to help her, reaching over and handing out to her. However, the gesture brought on an onslaught of pain. Her foot sharply collided with his shin. Somehow, his face met the floor, his arm was twisted behind his back, and the girl's tiny voice yelled, "Stop right there, mister!"

His eye twitched. "What did I ever do to deserve this…"

Havoc ran and slid to the scene, noticed it was not life threatening, and burst out laughing. "Out witted by a little girl!"

Hughes' head now peered around the corner with a smirk. She ignored the crowd. "Where did you take the dog?"

Mustang answered as calmly as he could. "I don't know what you are talking about. I didn't take your dog."

Armstrong stood in the other aisle looking over the aisle, his mustache peeked out from behind a cracker box, moving as he spoke. "Little Miss, he has been with us all day, I have not seen him take a single dog. I will swear this on the Armstrong Family Lineage!"

She saw the genuine confusion on Roy's face and let him go. His energy let her know he was telling the truth. He swiveled around onto his butt, rubbing his shin. He heard her say, "It's not my dog, it was the lady's- I'm sorry you-" She gasped after untangling her thoughts, pointing directly in his face, "You're the snappety snap guy, the real one!"

Mustang's eyes narrowed, he heard Havoc and Hughes snickering behind him. "I don't believe I have ever been simplified to those terms, but yes."

Hughes knelt down to talk to her. "May we help you find the dog?"

She kept staring at Mustang. "You know the dog and the lady."

Armstrong accidently hit the aisle behind him in shock; it fell over with a crash with all its contents, then a single box fell with a thud. Havoc lifted his eyebrows. "Real smooth…"

Hughes had softly covered her mouth with his hand. "Shh, you need to be quiet about this. Okay?"

The panda jumped on her head, ready to bite his fingers. She nodded. Ignoring the little weird thing, Hughes questioned her. "Where are your parents?"

She shook her head. He removed his hand, and she whispered, "I am traveling from Xing."

Hughes pleaded, "Do you have a moment to come to our place? It sounds shady, but we need to ask questions. Here, look-" He pulled out his wallet showing her a picture of his wife and girl, "I have a daughter of my own, I would never-"

She nodded pointing out, "Your daughter's really cute."

Hughes smiled, "I know! Isn't she _adorable_!"

Before Hughes went on his rant, Havoc grabbed the chips she wanted. "Not the time Hughes!" Then told the girl, "Come on I'll get you these."

He grabbed random canned food items, they were going to have a war night now. Armstrong fixed his mess with his awesome alchemy skills, leaving behind some nice burly man statues of himself at the end of the row, holding up the aisle number.

They rushed back to the Mustang pad, when the door was slammed shut behind them, Mustang dropped to his knees sitting back on his heels to talk to her, "How do you know about them?"

Now they knew what they already suspected, but they never thought help would come from must most unlikely of places. This Xing girl, Mei Chang recounted the events of the night she ran into the pathetic looking duo, in remarkable detail; this could not be a set up. But there was another piece of interesting news. "There was a guy they called Envy."

Riza's voice echoed in Roy's mind, _Envy of the East._

"He looked exactly like you and then changed form. Another lady showed up, she had a tattoo on her chest."

Armstrong asked, "Could you draw it for us little miss?"

She nodded, and handed it over to Mustang after she was done. His eyes went wide. "Impossible… Homunculi?"

Again, more questions than answers.

Mustang's mind was continuously plagued by the pictures, the site found with Riza's blood on the board, the voices on the audio device, and the frustration of logic that went with the lack of doing anything. Hughes made an excuse and guided Roy to the bedroom room, closing the door behind him. Once he heard the click, he faced his friend. "Talk."

The Colonel shoved his hands into his pockets. "What the hell are we doing? They are rotting somewhere and we are making cultural exchanges with children at markets! My patience is wearing thin, Maes."

Hughes added to the rant, "You're preaching to the choir."

Roy continued, "Is this what is really comes down to, doing nothing!?"

Hughes stepped forward, "You want dive in there, get yourself killed with them? How will that help anyone? Or do you want to take a beating and wait for the next move, then fix the country so this _never_ happens again?"

The Flame held his cool, staring at his friend, but all he wanted to do was rage. "It has to end-"

Maes threw out his arms. "Okay there _Colonel, _go marching into that room, get the info, kill Edison and shake down the facility thinking 'Hey I am going to save the day' to find them _shot_ in the head! Who knows who is pulling the strings. _This_ is the reality we live in, Roy! It makes me wonder if there is yet another section of the government, homunculi? What else is going on beneath our feet?

"I took you to the lab, you saw it. How did that exist? Oh that's right because people who find about such things are kidnapped, used in an experiment, and likely to killed on the spot! You were almost assassinated!"

Maes stopped and took a breath, shaking his head. "Do you know, I woke up the other day realizing I can't tell my little girl that it is okay to run to an officer and say 'Sir, my daddy's missing.' After telling the officer she is Elicia Hughes, bam-" he slapped his hands together "-gone. Never existed. I can't protect her because I am already dead. She asked me about Ed and Riza, and I can't tell her the truth- Oh help me God, forbid the truth be told! I fear she will disappear with Gracia at the damn market."

Tears welled up in his eyes, but never dropped. "I can only tell stories about how strong and courageous they are…" Steadying his emotions, he took a breath. "You are not the only one in this Roy Mustang. We are fighting every day to get her and Ed back. We know what the right thing should be: the entire army should be searching. This is not a war we are used to. He has the only vulnerability you have." He poked at Roy's chest. "Your heart. Right now you are letting it be your weakness, but I am here to remind you it is your strength."

Mustang was slightly dazed for the first time since he had been told his parents were dead. Without censoring his words, he spoke. "I apologize Maes, my mind has been- they- I-" He stopped.

Hughes waited, then put a hand on Mustang's shoulder. "Finish that sentence."

"I've slipped."

Hughes shook his head. "Remember, they are not a weakness. Your actions show the team you have heart, that you are human, and not a military abomination."

Mustang didn't realize how tightly he gripped the red ball until it shot out of his hand and landed on the floor in the corner.

Hughes face lit up. "He's like a son isn't he?" With that he clapped Roy on the shoulders, looking him in the eye. "Now do I have the real Roy back? We all slip and stumble, you now that. Are you ready to take life by the balls? Understand our comrades, your subordinates, and friends are your strength. Forget what I said before about the war, this _is_ a war, but it is a different _kind of _war."

Mustang nodded. "Hm. Never occurred to me I would need a reminder. Thanks."

Hughes chuckled. "You got hit a little too hard on the train."

He opened the door to the warm and friendly company that filled his apartment. If he had this much support, he damn well be able to take control of all of Amestris.

* * *

Edison turned to the guards. "Get Ed over here."

As soon as they released him from the chair, he pressed down on the array he made with his blood. The wooden chair became a sharp, short spear, and he drove it into the shoulder of the nearest guard. He pulled it out, throwing himself backwards into the wall, steadying himself on his left leg. The next guard came along and Edison yelled, "Stop!" The guards halted as Edison's laugh bounced off the walls of the room and ended as a cough.

He walked over, eyeing Ed as if he were a subject on sale. "Indeed. Fascinating! You can barely stand on one foot. What do you plan on doing, escaping? Look, there's the door."

It was Ed's turn to laugh. "You don't get it."

He lunged forward and was only able to nick the asshole's arm when he aimed for the shoulder. Ed was pushed over at the last minute, he and the guard falling in a heap on the floor. Riza could only hear the heavy beating Elric was taking. He was trying so hard but his body failed him, the pain was too great to keep muted. She pulled at her handcuffs. He had saved her from the flames. There had to be some way she could help him.

Edison reluctantly called out, "Alright, stop, we can't kill him."

They obeyed and lifted Ed up, bringing him face to face with Edison. Blood dripped down the crooks of his eyes, over his lips and chin. An eye was puffing up. The gold orbs were filled with unimaginable power, striking a bit of fear into Edison.

Ed muttered, "You are destroying the very thing you want. Burning it away, won't help. So stupid… It's called resistance, you fool." He spat blood in Edison's face, causing him to erupt with frustration.

That was when Envy poked his head in, pointing at Ed, and then out the door, muttering, "Put him back in the cage." The guards obeyed.

Edison was still having a fit., "He's an ANIMAL!"

Envy laughed. "I told you not to mess with the pipsqueak."

His eyes followed Edison as the guy paced back and forth. Envy wiped Ed's blood from his face, then he drifted over, lifting the blindfold from Riza's eyes muttering to her, "I think I am beginning to understand Lust's frustration with Gluttony." He saw blistering Riza's back and looked up at Edison, confused. "What did you do here?"

Edison laughed, forgetting he was doing more harm in the end. "Oh let me demonstrate!" He clicked his fingers and the guard let the fuse fire shoot out across Hawkeye's back again. Envy's eyes went wide, his mouth opening and closing. A sadistic smile crossed his face. "Okay, you're not frustrating me anymore, you're entertaining. That is genius. Talk about a mental fuck. You humans come up with the darndest things!"

Envy changed to look like Roy. Riza's eyes sank in her head, beyond horrified, this couldn't be happening. Envy clicked his fingers, Ed heard Riza's agony from his cell, and this time it was his turn to let out a cry of grievance.

Envy walked out, muttering, "If I catch you again with Elric and he is in that bad of condition, immortality is off the plate."

The medics were trying an ointment on Riza's skin. Edison's eyes traveled her body, he remembered feeling her soft skin under his fingertips, he did not have time that day… or the other days, but now he did… Mustang's toy was his, _his_, to play with, oh joy. This moment was his, and he was going to claim it.

Edison ordered the guards to turn her over. They did, then he ordered the medical staff to leave. He pulled the rest of the blindfold off, licking his lips at her beauty. His hand grazed her breast, sliding over her nipple.

Riza knew she was lucky to have gone this long without this happening. She drew the short straw today.

He had the guards unstrap her legs, pulled off her pants, and rebound her ankles for his bidding. She let the numbness engulf her, turning her head. Not a single emotion, whether of distain or twitch of a nerve, he would not win. Not even when the two guards had their way with her after he finished.

* * *

Envy casually walked over to Ed's cell, opening it and sitting down next to the bloody figure. He held a square bottle filled with an amber liquid. "Hey there, pipsqueak. I do have to ask, you could have killed the guy, but you didn't."

He took the bottle, lifting Ed's head up forcing him to drink it. Ed coughed as the whiskey burned down his throat.

"I don't kill people."

This homunculus' trademark laugh filled his ears. "So you give him a cut, what use was that? Would you like to see what good that did you? He's fucking the shit out of that girl."

Envy watched the glorious change in Ed's eyes. First it was self-hating, then they glossed, he blinked, and they were reset with a fire. Ed was a different kind of human. His strings had to be played for a long while, and to a different tune, but the climax to the music was worth the time to wait and the price for the ticket.

He fought to get up but Envy pushed him back down. "Oh no, this is not the time for that. Drink up, sleep it off. Who would you like to hold you?" He turned back into Roy and Ed, spat a tooth out of his mouth, aiming a punch at the false Mustang, which Envy easily caught in the palm of his hand. "Oh, too upsetting? Okay, fine, fine. I thought it would sooth the puppy..." He changed back. "My fault."

Envy sat there with him in silence, Edward was drowning in his own thoughts. There was no fear of death anymore. What would they put on his grave anyway? Wait, he was not _allowed_ to die. He had no right to die. What the hell was that about? So he was stuck here, trapped like a dog? He wasn't an animal!

Ed tried, and yet he failed. He saved Hawkeye from some scars, but not others. He had read books, beyond books, beyond books, and here he was still useless. The smartest of the age, though he did not see himself as such, the youngest to ever certify as a state alchemist, but here he was. Here he was. With nothing but his stupid motherfucking mistakes, one after the other.

_Oh, let's bring mom back!_ Great idea and that almost killed his brother, no body, but a brother's soul to be tortured with no sleeping, no eating, only existing. Scar made those old fears come to light…_Oh lets go on crazy missions! Hopping over to the fifth lab now, without back up and disobeying orders, because I am just that much of a badass!_

In a hole, a bloody mess in a hole, who knows where, that's where _the_ Fullmetal Alchemist lies. How was it no one found them? Were they even looking? He saw Mustang, he fucking saw him. He had to know. Did they give up? Were they dead to them? Was there something of greater value than getting them back? Was that all he was? Just a kid? Just a … a dog to be left forgotten in a cage? Was he an animal for slaughter?

Was this how it really was going to end? End, wait there was no end for Ed. But this did not make any logical cohesion. Then why did Mustang back him up, support him? Was he only an asset? Why was he even doubting the man? Where had his trust gone? What about Al, his body, he promised to get it back…

Oh, the powers of a beautiful mind.

* * *

By the time Hawkeye was thrown back into her cell, Envy had successfully forced Ed to pass out. His head rested in a small puddle of his own blood.

She lay there on her stomach, wishing for those flames to return, to burn every little cell off her skin. Ironically, she wanted to be held- held by a man, a real man with a real heart who was human and had the true power to set ablaze anything that was wrong.

The two mice scurried across, settling between her neck and shoulder. Huddled together, they slept with the Hawk.

* * *

_To be continued..._

_On the next installment of_ _Goldeneye_: Can Ed_'_s mind keep a balance or will he spiral?  
Red light green light one to three!  
That_'_s all I can give you. Otherwise, I would too much away in the next explosive chapter:

**Chapter 8: Firefly**

(But it seems innocent and peaceful?)

? Reviews, Thoughts, Rants ?

By the way: This story is dedicated to my companion and friend: Mack.  
It would have been hard to express Ed as Goldeneye without him (Yes, thank you Mack for your dismissive grunts, funny expressions, and the many times I have easily translated your actions as cruses flying at me for your need to take a piss on that tree).


	8. Firefly

Disclaimer: I am not a creator of Fullmetal Alchemist. Not written for profit, entertainment purposes only.

AN: HUGE THANK YOU TO **Taethowen**, lots of hard work and patience, thank you!

Thank you Guest, Guest, Guest, Roy-Mustang's-Girl and all the others that have reviewed, favorited, and followed. I hope you continue to enjoy.

Warning: Implied sexual abuse, violence.

* * *

**Chapter 8: Firefly**

A few days had come and gone, and in that time Ed was left to rot in the confines of his cell, while Riza was dished out all the punishment for being close to Roy Mustang. It was kind of them to leave the doors open for Ed to hear how painful it would be if he were a part of the party.

It was clear to him, from the glossy hawk eyes to the congested breathing, Riza had developed an infection.

And here was Ed, unable to do anything. At first he second guessed his morals; maybe he should have killed the guard. Now, he _hated_ himself for letting that guy continue to breathe in the air of this world.

* * *

The dusty-brown haired teen collapsed, breathing heavy and sweating, next to a beautiful raven-haired woman. Ivory turned to him, tracing a finger down his muscular arm. "So fit…"

Wrapping her leg around his, she pressed her chest against him. He chuckled as this sexy woman leaned over for her glass of liquor, he followed suit, gulping it down as she sipped hers. He turned his head, his nose almost touching hers. "We have to be… to serve the country."

His arm went around her back. Ivory played with his hair as she looked down at him. "You know you are better than most men I know. A very kind…" those red lips nibbled at his neck, "careful…" straddled him, "not narcissistic…" snaking a hand down between them, "honorable…" a warm palm rubbed against his cock.

A hearty groan escaped him; her breath brushed against his lips. "Noble man." Ivory moved towards his ear, nibbling at it, however this time she wasn't getting a response. Stopping, her face slowly pulled away to look down into his eyes, murmuring, "What's on your mind, hmmmm?"

He was fighting something in that cranium. Biting her lip, the woman lifted an eyebrow. "Hey Tommy-boy."

He looked at her. "Ivory, I'm not any of that."

The seductius sighed inside. He was one of _those_ guys. A second look at his face told her otherwise. There was no shadow of sad, self-hating depression about his features. There was a spark. She pressed on, in a normal tone, "Why do you say that?"

He laughed. The booze stripped away the filters in his brain. "You know, some people are just fucking amazing. No matter what happens to them, what you can do to them, what you can take away, they have something..." he motioned with his fingers to his eyes, "you can even see them looking at a dream as though it were tangible. But there is little I can do to help these people. What I do, it's not serving anyone."

Ivory listened carefully. "Who can't you help? Explain it to me."

The raven woman refilled his drink. He chuckled, jesting, "You're not going to like it, there is a girl involved."

Moaning willfully, Ivory pushed forward, "Mmmm, but I like those stories… go on, describe her."

He slurred some of his words, "Maybe 25? When I first saw her, she seemed weak and pale. But her eyes… might have been a bad day for her. She has this unbelievable _spirit_. Those are fierce lookin' eyes, I mean _fierce_, even in the darkest moments, could be semiconscious, it wouldn't matter."

"So you work at a prison?"

"Sort of, I guess. All the inmates all have numbers, but I snuck a look at her file. Hawk something," it took a lot to hide Ivory's surprise, she stumbled upon this guy who was still speaking, "That doesn't matter, what I mean to say is, the name is very fitting. It's the Hawk's eyes she has."

"I'm jealous…" Those words eased their way through lustful lips; Ivory leaned down and kissed him, letting the liquor's flavor mingle between them. Withdrawing, her lips brushed his ear, asking, "Would you mind if I took a second? The liquor is going through me, and I want round two." He chuckled, moaning, "Certainly, me lady…"

The enchanting woman gracefully stood up, and he watched her naked silhouette disappear into the bathroom. She softly shut the door, locking it. Quickly pulled out a bottle from the cabinet beneath the sink, and a white wash cloth, Ivory poured the liquid over the sink to saturate the cloth. Remembering to flush the toilet with her toe before unlocking the door, Ivory returned to the room. Her feet almost glided across the floor. She resumed her position on top of him. "Oh look, you are all sweaty." Lifting the cloth to his head, Ivory dabbed it a bit before holding it down on his face. "You seem tired, time to sleep." Once he was knocked out, the conspirator leaned over and picked up the phone.

* * *

It was about two weeks since hearing Mei's story, and about three months since Fullmetal and Hawkeye's capture.

The shrill of the phone woke him up. A quick glance at the alarm clock revealed it was two o'clock in the morning. This wasn't good. He leapt from the bed ran into the living room and grabbed the phone. "Mustang."

Ivory's voice tickled his ear. "I got someone for you, same room." She hung up. Mustang called the team, multitasking with the phone to his ear and pulling on a decent pair of pants.

The team went up the back entrance, making their way to the suite where Ivory and Mustang first made their deal. They briskly moved their way upstairs as if moving in on a mission to raid during a wartime scenario. After knocking, Mustang was face to face with Ivory. "Well that was fast."

She let them in, showing them to the man tied to a chair. Havoc examined her work. "Nice knots." The dirty-blonde was mystified. "How do you know how to do this?"

"It's called bondage, dear." She lit a cigarette. "You should try it some time."

The guy was not a day older than 17, wore a black guard uniform, pants on, no shirt. The front of his body leaned against the restraints, head hung over the table. Ivory used rubbing alcohol under his nose to wake him up. Once he came around, he was met with a black haired man sitting across from him, with a team standing behind him. "What-the-fuuuuuuuuuuck…?"

Once they met eyes, Mustang immediately recognized him from the photograph. He was the guard who held Riza up, exposing her back. The onyx eyes glinted with ice, fingers poised to snap under the table.

The kid seemed fearful, causing Breda to wonder if he had already shat his paints. "What'd you want? I don't have much money, this was a treat. I – I pay for my sister to live at home with our aunt. If this is your wife I'm-"

Havoc flicked his lighter open, lighting his own cigarette. "I would shut up now, if I were you."

The kid squeaked. "Yes, sir."

Mustang demanded, "Where are Lt. Riza Hawkeye and the canine located?"

Breda's pencil was scratching against paper,_ another turd in the pants_.

The teen stammered, "She's back in the facility, I don't know anything about a dog."

Breda dug for more information. "How big is the facility?"

"Huge. The correctional facility is in the middle of nowhere. It was constructed like a maze so the logical means to exit for and escapee would fail. You have to know the right paths, otherwise you're lost. She is on the fourth floor, in the middle, right part of the facility. That is – if – if you were facing front. I- I can draw it all for you."

Breda looked to Havoc who pushed to wonder. "This is way too easy…"

The kid shook his head. "No, no! Listen, the guy is psycho. I can't tell you his name, if you blab it - he will know things are leaking. I can't predict what he will do. Look, if I am not back tomorrow at six am, he will freak."

Hughes poised a question, "Why are you cooperative?"

They watched the kid shake his head like a dog, trying to clear the liquor coated brain of his and answer properly. He took in a deep breath, agitated. "You think I signed up for this crap? I signed up to support my sister after dad died." Mustang immediately thought of Ed. "To protect people! Not to watch people starve in cells for reasons unknown!" The dusty-haired boy looked straight into Mustang's eyes. "Tell me you see something wrong, you have some sanity in you, right? If I give you information, you have to let me get go. If I don't make it for my shift…" He looked down., "You don't even have to tell me what you plan to do."

Mustang inquired, "So she is alive?"

The kid nodded. "Yes, they have been nagging her to talk about a man named Roy Mustang. She has something on her back they can't figure out, causing my commander irritation." Mustang smirked at Edison's 'irritation'. "They have tried everything to get her to talk. I slip her food anyway."

"You get caught, you get shot, you know that?" Hughes noted, remembering the similar treatment ordered on the Ishvalan POWs.

The kid interrupted, shaking his head. "That's not the point."

Falman stepped forward and untied him, convinced of his convictions at this point. The kid asked for a paper and pen and started to draw the floor plans of the facility. There were areas left blank; he was not cleared for sections, and had never stepped inside.

While the kid was busy, Mustang asked, "So you don't know of a dog, 35742?"

The kid's questioned, "Why are you calling him a dog? That's the blonde guy."

Mustang found his breath again.

Havoc blurted out, "Wait, what?"

The kid continued with the thought, "His cell is across from what's-her-name?" He looked toward a narrowed eyed Mustang, who corrected, "Lt. Hawkeye."

"Sorry. I only know her as forty-two ninety-five."

Hughes asked, "What's your name?"

The kid stuck out his hand to shake hands with Hughes. "Tom MacHall."

The next day, Breda dropped a personnel file labeled _PVT Tom MacHall_ on Mustang's desk. "The kid wasn't lying."

Hughes walked in and rolled out a map to pinpoint the location coordinates MacHall gave. It was at least two hours outside of Central, deep in the woods. The size of the facility… the amount of estimated personnel… they needed more man power.

* * *

Envy sat spread out on a couch, looking at his finger nails, waiting for Bradley to come back in the office. Lust burst in instead. "Where's-"

Without looking at her, Envy mumbled, "Finishing with his wife." Envy led his head back to look at her upside down. "What has you aghast? You come in here looking all, _frazzled_. Are you jealous that someone is getting laid and it's not you?"

An aggravated reply came from her, "No, being jealous is your job."

"Let me guess, the human tried to swindle you into a session with the blonde and himself?" Envy returned to his original position, amused at the uncharacteristic malevolent continence Lust displayed at the mention of the subject. "Heh. I called it! Pride! You owe me money!"

With that, Bradley strutted in. "Who let you clowns in here?"

Envy morphed into one and honked his nose.

"Envy…"

He morphed back. "I am here to express my concern. Information leakage. Mustang knows. Maps and files were requested. They are searching."

Bradley chuckled, hands behind his back, as he walked over to his desk. "I have to give that man credit, he is good at what he does. I think I am going to take a little trip to Lt. Colonel Hughes' office."

Envy sat up straight. "Wait! I have been working on my fireworks. I even bought the automail!"

Bradley nodded. "Yes, yes, you may still have your fun Envy. I am even going to join you."

Envy walked out with a big smile on his face. Lust and Bradley listened to his ranting. "Man, that Edison, fuckin' buffoon. Can you _believe_ he wants to _be_ Mustang? He even fashioned himself the gloves, they even spark. Granted, I tried being the Flame and it was fun… Lust, take this advice from me, your brother: ignore the guy. I'll take care of him; he's on my nerves with his demands and bullshit. The human is finished."

* * *

Now Ed was falling ill. They had both lost their voice, both felt weak. They continued to communicate via Morse Code, tapping the metal bars with their finger nails.

Ed sent, "This may be a stupid question, but are you okay?"

Riza smirked, remembering that was the first thing she asked when he woke up, and responded with a _humph_.

She heard Ed snort. The next message he sent was, "I'm sorry, you are here because of me."

Her message replied, "This is not your fault, only hate and stupidity breed a world like this one."

* * *

There was a knock on the door. Hughes voice rang out, "Come in!" He was focused on a report, and held up his finger to his unknown guest, "Hold on just one minute… Ah…. okay done!" Hughes looked up and shot up out of his seat, standing at attention. "Sir! My apologies, sir!"

The Führer chuckled, his fatherly voice filled with pride, "It is good to see soldiers hard at their work. Relax, Lt. Colonel. I don't mind, I don't mind at all."

"Would you like anything to drink, sir?"

The Führer shook his head. "No, I am quite alright." He sat in Hughes' guest chair. "Please have a seat, Lt. Colonel."

Hughes sank in his seat, trying to play this all off naturally. "Sir, this is a bit awkward, speaking to you from behind my desk."

"It seems normal to me; I have come as a guest." Bradley folded his hands over his lap.

The Lt. Colonel fixed his glasses on his face and asked, "What can I do for you, sir?"

"Oh, I have a mission for you. I need you to round up the Flame Alchemist and the Strong Armed Alchemist. You see there is a traitor in my cabinet. He used the power I have bestowed upon him, the head of research of Alchemy. This soldier has abused the privilege.

"I've read your report on the 5th lab. Yes, that all used to take place during the war, but I had no knowledge of the laboratory you found. As Führer, you think I should know of such things. That was my first clue. I need you and the experts you have consulted, which I have gathered might be Mustang and Armstrong.

"Mustang and his team have a great reputation, even finding the best alchemist in all of Amestris, Fullmetal. Edward Elric's state certification was… oh, I am going off topic, aren't I? I digress, his team had revealed the truth behind the Sewing-Life Alchemist, Shou Tucker, in his precarious deeds. Knowing your histories, I think it best to trap this man in the act. There is a facility two hours from here that we need to take down. I want it all documented and in one of your thorough reports."

"I don't know what to say, sir, I am honored." Hughes stated.

Bradley laughed as he stood. Hughes stood with him, listening as the Führer commented, "It also helps that your reports don't bore me to death with the way you write them. I will set up a team for you, you gather yours, and we will plan this out. Brigadier General Edison must not know. He needs to feel the full punishment under the law." At the doorway Bradley turned around and asked, "Have you come across any leads on Fullmetal since the 5th Lab?"

Hughes could not show hesitation, though he wished he was not put in this spot. The way they conducted the investigations into the matter, keeping away and distrusting the military eye, may be misconstrued as traitorous intentions. "Yes, sir. To a laboratory in the middle of nowhere."

The Führer smiled. "Let's hope it is the same one. As I have said, he is a prodigy, an asset to this country, and my son would love to meet him."

* * *

Ed was sitting with his back against the wall, his eyes fixed on a spot in the stone across from him. He went numb, trying to ignore Edison's rants and Riza's painful cries.

At some point Envy walked up. "Hey there, Pipsqueak." Ed made no sound, nor did he move. Envy's hand went to his hip, a grin plastered on his face. "Want to help her?"

Ed's eyes slowly moved to look up at his guest. There was an automail leg slung over his shoulder. Envy unlocked the cell, Ed watched as he put one hand on his waist and one on the automail. Using his own stone, Envy started to fuse the two into place. Ed's face contorted to the pain, his nerves, meat, and bone extended out like tendrils reaching for the ports and metal, all fusing together. Within seconds it was all complete, Ed's chest took one shuttering deep breath as it subsided. The homunculus brought him to his feet, Ed didn't raise any questions, he was glad to have another leg to stand on. Envy led the way and stopped.

The door squealed and clicked shut. Ed wondered, _Where would she be?_ Envy was breathing down his neck.

Riza's chilling cry of agony ripped through the air. Ed rounded a corner with unfathomable speed. The blonde's mind saw his flesh hand push the metal door open. Flash. Snap. Pop. Electric whine. His eyes swept the room, the smell of seared flesh, Hawkeye face down on the table, Edison enjoying himself on top of her.

Ed's face contorted with rage, fist clenched, his eyes saw red, pupils narrowed. Envy knew, at that moment, the boy snapped. The entertainment began! The dog wanted to taste blood!

Envy pushed a loaded weapon on Ed's chest. The subconscious mind gripped the handle. The homunculus' voice whispered in his ear, "Get 'im boy!"

Ed heard his pulse raged in his ears, and he aligned the weapon to its target: the guard he failed to kill before, holding the torch. Edward Elric pulled the trigger, twice. He had unimaginable precision. The body writhed in pain on the ground. Time was slow, he felt so calm despite his heart racing.

Envy laughed with joy as he watched the beautiful scene unfold. With ease, the broken pipsqueak continued to paint the room red, as he targeted one doctor, another guard. Riza moved the blind fold with her forearm to her forehead. She saw Edison's back, another shot rang out, and the man fell to his knees screaming in pain. Ed stood over him, smiling.

He shot the guy's balls off. He went down on his knee, yanking the glove from his hand, and said with a low growl, "You will never make it to the greatness that Colonel Roy Mustang is, you worthless sack of shit." He stood up, the man holding himself sobbing, collapsed completely to the floor.

When Ed stepped over him, Edison flinched. Ed looked down. "Don't you _dare_ put me on the same playing level as you. I don't beat people when they are down."

Riza looked to see Dusty untying her. When she was sitting, she covered her chest with her arm, meeting Ed's golden eyes. There was something wrong there. The innocent, carefree, wildly determined Edward Elric was not standing before her. He now had the eyes of a hunter and killer, cold and hard, full of cold steel. Her heart sank, this was never supposed to happen…

She reached for his face, uncertain of who was really before her. "Ed?"

A monotone reply, "It's time to go."

He carefully helped her get to her feet. She noticed his new leg, but left out the comments. Dusty helped to get her pants on while Ed steadied her. Once everything was in order, Envy led the way.

They passed their cells down the hall to the next door. Through a square glass window, there was a silhouette of a guard. Envy stepped to the side, whispering to Ed again, "If you want freedom, you have to fight for it."

Ed guided Riza back, Then flung the door open toward him, winning a head shot, blood sprayed back at him, dotting his face. They ran down another hall toward another door. There were voices inside. Envy opened the door, which happened to be transmutation deck. Ed shot anyone he saw with cold, precise ease. Once out of rounds, he dropped the clip. As though they had been practicing for years, Envy swiftly reloaded another magazine, laughing.

A shot rang down toward him, clipping Ed in the arm, and he fell back.

Riza calculated where the shot came from, snatched the glove from his back pocket, pulling it on. Her arm went up toward the balcony.

Snap. The orange lines zigzagged in the space and an inferno erupted. Hearing the bodies scream, Envy watched the scene, the orange glow dancing on his face, mumbling, "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned." He had not expected this performance!

Ed, Riza, and Envy followed Dusty to the other side, opening a door way to a stairwell. Men were rushing up the stairs toward the commotion. Riza lifted her arm again, snapping her fingers. The flames danced, licking the steel bars to the point where they started to bend to the will of the heat. Once it died down, they descended the stairs. Ed tripped over a charred body, his hand flying forward to stop him from smashing into the stone wall, which was warm to the touch. When he lifted his hand, a clean print was left behind as the soot stuck to his palm.

When they finally made it down to the second floor, Ed took aim and shot his way through. Dusty glanced out the window. Sam was signaling something. "You guys keep going!" He ran up the hallway, the two inmates didn't think twice of it.

Once they got reached the exit, Ed slammed his thin frame into the heavy steel door, forcing it open. They were greeting by a flight of steel stairs leading to the ground. They ran to the barbed wire gate, ignoring any noise and echoes. With use his blood, Ed smeared a transmutation on the chain and blasted through the chain. With Riza's help, he wrenched the gate open.

Ed trailed behind Riza, watching her back, as they dashed as fast as their legs could carry them Suddenly, Ed noticed he had forgotten she was still without a shirt. Seeing her gruesome back, it was no wonder she was ill. Their bare feet tingled against the chill of the damp ground. His uneven footsteps pounded the ground, looking behind him, Envy was nowhere to be seen; they lost him.

He didn't know how long or how far they ran into the forest, but they soon slowed to a stop, his chest heaving for air. Riza's lungs were wheezing. As the adrenaline retreated from his veins, panic flooded in.

No, he didn't just do that. That wasn't him… that was some animal that… he was - he was a successful chimera 35742… A panicked sob escaped his throat. His eyes darted around as though searching for an answer. Ed fell to his knees letting the weapon fall to his side, his hand flew to his head and he grabbed his hair.

With an arm concealing her bare chest, Riza leaned against the nearest tree. She felt the bark cut into her arm as she, too, collapsed to her knees in front of him. He felt hands on his face and winced. Her voice was barely audible, it hurt to speak, but between the cold air trying to get in and out of her lungs, and the painful cries, she somehow managed to get out, "Shhh. Shhh, Ed. Ed, look at me."

He opened his eyes to see her chestnut colored ones leading to a soul filled sorrow and concern, yet braced with strength and conviction. Ed put his head on her shoulder, as Goldeneye would have done. With the battle and his inner conflict mental raid, Ed was again reminded she had no shirt. She held the trembling boy close. He pulled back, quickly unbuttoning his shirt.

"I'm sorry, I kept- I didn't notice somehow I-." He stopped talking. His eyes transfixed on a spot on her shoulder, trying to keep some privacy. The shirt was wrapped around her shoulders with great care.

Images of blood splattering slammed his mind… he killed like an animal…had become a monster, he had become one of them…

As Ed helped her put her arms into each sleeve, Riza's back yelled at her as the fabric brushed against it, yet the normal skin welcomed the bodily warmth it still held within the fibers. She was startled to hear calm voice. "My mother, brother, and I watched the fireflies dance out on the porch." He never spoke about his mother before…

She looked down at the buttons, her hands violently shaking with all the exhaustion. His soot dusted hand gently brushed hers away, taking off the glove, stuffing it into a pocket. She was too ill to fight anymore.

His hand was also shaking, slightly less than her own. He starting to do the work for her, she continued to sit on her heels, looking at him, at a face speckled with blood, listening. "We tried to cup them in our hands to get a better look. Mom went in the house and retrieved a glass jar, handing it to me, encouraging us to catch some. Al and I had a fun time with it. Once we closed the lid, the light was concentrated and beautiful, it pulsated brighter than when they were individual. We got to study them. When it was time to go inside, Al wanted to take the fireflies in. She knelt down in front of us, she put a hand his shoulder, and said, 'We can't, pumpkin. We have to let them free.' Al pouted, asking why. 'Their light will slowly dim, then eventually it will stop and die. They need to be free, to eat, be happy and light the world.'

"So we unscrewed the lid and watched them fly out back to the area we had caught them, I asked, 'Why are they not running away? I can catch them again.' She smiled at me, 'Eddie, what is there to fear when you did them no harm and let them go? They will go explore the world now, which is big and beautiful and filled with lots of adventure!'"

A pained smile appeared on his face with the memory. "She ruffled my hair… 'Your light is bright already, what will you do with it?'" He finished the last button, continuing in a monotone voice, "We grew too much, too fast. One stupid mistake after the other… the world she knew has changed. I wonder what world she was talking about." The eyes of two killers met each other, he continued, "I am in the jar, and have been for too long. They won't let me be free."

Ed rubbed his forehead and stood up. He surveyed the area… they were out of the cells… The world was vast, empty… he almost wanted to crawl into the corner of Roy's apartment and stay there.

The events played out before his eyes_, they took everything I had… even my humanity… I'm not even human anymore…_ He backed up from Riza, convinced he was forever trapped in this hell. His bare right foot felt the cold steel.

Her hand rested on his arm, her voice wouldn't work. Her weak grip tightened as he started to slowly pull away. "No. I'm done." He saw the shadows of men from the corner of his eye, they were running toward them, shouting. He snatched the weapon off the ground.

Riza saw the hope for the world extinguish from his eyes and went to grab him. Even the sound of pain would not emit from her vocal cords as the blistered and charred skin tore on her back.

He moved out of her reach, turning around. Her hand grasped the bark of the tree, resilient, never giving up. Using all her might, she willed her legs to move, only to fall. Her body, wreaked with illness and too fatigued to stand, said _no, not now_. She had felt weak before, but not on this level. She _hated_ it. Ed needed her now more than ever and she could not even stand on her own two feet.

"I'm sorry, Lieutenant." She looked up at his back, she still tried to get up, her head was pounding, the world was spinning, yet she fought at it tooth and nail.

He faced that vast empty wilderness, closed his eyes, willing his beautiful mind to send him to Resembool one last time. It presented as though he were looking through a window behind his eyelids. He heard nothing but his pulse in his ears. Firmly pressing the metal to his temple, feeling the joint of finger wrap around the trigger, he confirmed it for himself, "I'm done."

A force slammed into his back, the shot ringing out as he flew forward. The round grazed the top of his head. Instinctively bracing for the fall, he released his grip on the gun. Hs face slammed into the damp ground. _No, no!_ He was not going to be taken back. His eyes fixed on the gun which had fallen about two feet away from him…He could see it, it was so close… Hysterically whimpering, "This is too cruel…"

With strength from sheer will to end it all, he pushed back against the body on top of him with all the strength he could muster, knocking the wind out of his perpetrator. He heard another voice yell out, "Over here!" He struggled against two arms wrapped tightly around him, confining his arm to waist. Ed yelled out with a mix of rage, sadness, and frustration. He sobbed. "Too cruel… I'm done…what do you get out of this sick twisted game?"

A soft voice met his ear, which was still trying to get the wind back in his chest, "No, Edward, you are not done yet." Ed's body stilled, feeling the chest expand for more air behind him. "Because you are the Fullmetal Alchemist."

Numbness tingled through Ed as the Colonel lifted them up to their knees. Ed started to fight again, yelling, "Don't fuck with me Envy!"

Mustang's tense grip turned into a soft hug. The warmth engulfed Ed, his body shook trying to both accept and reject the gesture.

Roy turned him around, mind racing, and he took out the red ball from his pocket, putting it into Ed's hand. It was as though someone released the puppet strings attached to Ed's body. The boy collapsed into him. Ed looked over at Riza who was now on her knees, still trying to steady herself on the tree. Havoc at her side, about to put his own coat over her but hesitated when he saw the material on her back, saturated with blood.

A weak rasp of a voice was all Ed could find to advise Roy, "She needs you." For a moment Ed tried to get out of Mustang's grasp so he could go to Riza, but the hands held onto him tight.

Ed watched a blurry figure help Mustang quickly take off his military jacket and coat and put it on Ed, who seemed to be a rag doll. Mustang laid him down in his arm, tugging and fixing the jacket around the thin body with the other. Roy took notice of the two collars, Goldeneye and 35742. He lifted his hand ready to snap, his intention to take off the one that labeled him as a number when Ed's shaking hand covered is own, pleading, "No! Don't - no." The Colonel was perplexed, but obeyed.

Fullmetal's appearance was shocking: deep dark cycles under his eyes, pasty white skin, almost emaciated. His golden eyes showed mental exhaustion, his guard down, fully entrusting his care to his companion. The stubborn independent part of Ed did not have enough energy to put up a fight otherwise.

Ed's voice cracked, "Can we go home now?"

"Yes, and I will make you an omelet in morning." With Mustang's words Ed's body fell limp. "Ed?" He shock him a little, but received no response. "Ed!" The boy looked like death had taken him. Roy pulled a glove off with his teeth, rushing to find a pulse. He sighed with relief. The medical team would be here soon to help them out.

Mustang shifted closer toward Riza. With his free hand he took her arm to steady her so she didn't have to continue using the tree. Havoc's jacket was put on backwards, over her front instead of back. Hawkeye's breathing was rough, face pale, and her body trembled. She seemed like she had so much to say, maybe even something to ask, but lacked a voice. Her amber eyes were glossy, and relieved.

He put his cheek to her forehead. Riza was burning up.

"I love you," she whispered.

He kissed her forehead in response, not caring who the fuck was around to see it. She smiled to herself. A man of actions. He always was, and always would be. _A dog match for a chimera would suit him, too_. She wished she had the strength to chuckle at the thought.

"Lay her down!" His voice was too loud, but she was never going to let him go again. Her grip on his arm tightened.

Havoc responded, "We can't-"

"Why not?" Mustang demanded.

Hawkeye's grip slackened. Havoc thrust his arm out to stop her from falling as she lost consciousness. "Don't worry, Colonel, I got her."

As her body relaxed into Havoc's, Roy finally saw the blood soaking through her clothing. There was no time for him to respond, though, as the stretchers had finally angry and concerned, Roy watched as Riza was placed face down on one. He hated to let Hawkeye and Fullmetal go, afraid they would be taken again. Mustang and his team ran back with a security group Mustang followed them to the medic truck. Mustang watched them be loaded in when Fuery drove up in a vehicle. "Get in!"

Havoc, Mustang, Breda, and Falman did not need to be told twice. They jumped in and followed the trucks to the hospital.

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_To be continued..._

**Chapter 9: Links**

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Let me know how I did! Review!

I wish to express the following: Ed is a very resilient character which is why I threw so much at him from all different angles. With this, I wanted to express that even the strongest people can fall and it is okay, they are only human. Everyone needs someone to catch them once and a while.


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